Last Wish
by MashPotatoeSquishBanana
Summary: He had his whole life ahead of him. But he died in a war that should never have happened. "Promise," his voice whispered in my mind. I bowed my head and accepted his death. He was gone. But I could still honour his memory by fulfilling his last wish.
1. Prologue- The Last Night

**Title: Last Wish- Prologue  
Main Characters: Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson  
Status: Percy and Annabeth are 19, in the Final Battle of the Giant War**

**WARNING: if you do not like angst, and do not like to cry, I suggest that you do not read this story, which will consist of five chaoters, including this prologue. **

"Let's boogie, peoples!" Leo yelled, turning up the music to full blast.

He was wearing florescent green sunglasses that were so huge they were falling down to his mouth, a hot pink tutu with sheer black ripped tights, a hot pink wig that looked like it had been run over with an electric horse (namely, Tempest) and ridiculously high lace up gladiator heels which he kept tripping over.

You might be wondering why Leo was dressed like a girl, yelling at everyone to start boogying or else.

See, Leo had had a magnificent, ingenious idea. Victory party for everyone making it past fifteen (it had been Hazel's fifteenth birthday the day before.)

No, the real reason was: "We're about to die anyway, may as well live while we can!" as Leo had so bluntly put it.

So, Coach Hedge had allowed everyone to venture into the nearest mortal town and buy their costumes from a local convenience store.

"Did you say 'let's do the _boogar_?' Hazel yelled now, staring at Leo. Leo resisted the urge to crack up. Hazel hadn't really understood the concept of 'go wild, within reason.'

There was a spatula sticking up out of her bushy ponytail, she had glitter in layers of all colours on her face, and rainbow pony stickers up her arms, and a green and white Hawaii Hula skirt around her waist.

"No, a boogie is a type of dance!" Percy shouted in her ear, doing his interpretation of the dance. He was wearing a rainbow Afro wig, a flower necklace, fake plastic rings decorated with coloured glass on every finger and a golden sequin dress with fake leather ankle boots. Hazel burst into laughter, and Percy faked a hurt expression. "What?"

Just then Annabeth entered the room, and everyone stared at her. She shrugged and said one word: "Piper."

She had a black design painted on both cheeks- like a vine with flowers sprouting. Her black shirt was large and hung halfway down her thighs, with the words: _Party all night long, die young _scrawled over it in silver sequin writing.

She wore long black tights with silver lace up ballerina flats and a long, straight white- blond wig. Her grey eyes were enhanced with heavy eye liner and all the black made her look deathly pale, like a beautiful ghost.

"I look like a try- hard," she grumbled, going to wipe at her made up face, when Piper waltzed through the door looking like a princess.

"Oh, no, you don't missy. That was an hour of work!" Piper grabbed Annabeth's arm to stop her from wiping all the gunk off.

Piper looked like a fictional character out of a Disney story. She wore a long purple dress with puffy sleeves and a skirt of gossamer silk. Her luscious brown hair was wound up in a complicated hair do on top of her head that nobody could follow. Just a touch of make up and she was glowing like Aphrodite herself. When Piper actually tried to look pretty, everybody could see the resemblance between her mother and her.

"Do you like it?" she asked everyone, throwing her arms out, showing off her exquisite outfit.

Suddenly Frank was shoved through the door by Jason. Both boys wore kitchen utensils. Frank was wearing a metal mixing bowl as a helmet, and was clutching his scooping spoon like he would a sword. Jason wasn't much better, with his army of plastic plates wrapped around his body with miles of silver duct tape, and a cheese grater stuck on his head and a bunch of basil leaves sticking out of it, like a feathered helm.

A black garbage bag billowed off his shoulders like a cape.

Everyone applauded and looked at the door in anticipation. Coach Hedge trotted in.

His outfit was the most outrageous yet. He had a plastic picture of a six pack stuck to his stocky chest, a tan coloured long sleeve shirt with tennis balls stuck where biceps would be, and a bunch of yellow weeds stuck behind his ear. The coach had painted his hooves with bright red nail polish.

"Nice, coach," Leo grinned crookedly.

"Can we start eating?" Percy asked, his hand inching towards the pizza.

"No!" Leo shouted. "We _dance_! C'mon Frank, boogie with me!"

Leo started doing a grandpa jig just as '_I'm Sexy and I Know It_' came on. Frank tried to imitate what Leo was doing, and Hazel laughed so hard the spatula fell out of her hair.

Percy picked it up for her and just as she was about to take it out of his hand, he started chasing her around the room, trying to slap her butt with it.

They both fell to the floor laughing. Piper and Jason were slow dancing to an imaginary slow song, a tradition for them.

Coach Hedge was stealing all the cheese enchiladas and loading them onto a tray to snack on while he watched wrestling matches.

Leo was now trying to get Frank to lift him in the palm of his hand while Leo did the '_wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah'_ dance move.

After '_I'm Sexy and I Know It_' came '_Gangnam Style'. _

Everybody except Leo groaned.

"Can I choose a song?" Hazel asked shyly.

Leo grinned and ushered her over to the magical DJ that could play any song that you wished for.

"Of course, milady," he mock bowed and backed away. Soon a movie theme song came on, slow and calm.

"Awwe, you ruined the party atmosphere," Leo whined. Nobody answered.

Annabeth recognised the song, but couldn't place the name. "What's this?" she asked Hazel, walking over holding the drink of coke she had been getting.

Hazel smiled impishly. "It's _Can You Feel the Love Tonight. _Lion King."

Annabeth laughed. "Trust you, Hazel."

Hazel shrugged. "I just fell in love with this song when I first heard it."

Just then something slipped around Annabeth's waist and turned her around. Her drink sloshed all over Percy's chest, but he didn't mind. He smiled down at her as he whirled her across the floor, stepping on her toes and his wig falling off to reveal his messy- as- always black hair.

"Happy 'We're Gonna Die Party'," Percy whispered. Annabeth laughed and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Seaweed Brain," she whispered back. He smiled.

The night flew by fast, featuring a hilarious talent show that everyone had to participate in. Coach Hedge lifted his tray loaded with enchiladas to show his immense strength.

Annabeth let the audience shoot random sums at her and time how fast she got them correct. Leo had said, "1+1" Annabeth, who had forgotten about this particular trick, had said the obvious answer.

"Nope!" Leo had shouted gleefully, hyped up on gallons of Coke and sour worms. "A window!" And Annabeth had learned something new that night, by a seriously ADHD son of Hephaestus, none the less.

By the end of the night, everyone was worn out. Various party accessories were missing, such as a number of Hazel's rainbow pony stickers, Leo's giant green sunnies, Percy's Afro wig, Jason's cheese grater helm, and one of Coach Hedge's biceps. His plastic six pack was ripped down the middle.

Leo hired Buford the flying table to clean up after the party, and everyone trailed to bed, dread replacing the high feelings from Leo's ultimate demigod party.

* * *

Annabeth couldn't sleep. She thrashed and rolled in bed, bumping the wall multiple times, to the point that her neighbour, Piper, had to come in, eyes bleary, hair wild, and whisper- yell at her for waking her up.

Annabeth didn't try to sleep after that.

She instead made her way to Percy's cabin.

She looked down at him smiling. He was drooling all over his pillow, and his longish dark hair was fanned out. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples.

Annabeth climbed into his bed and curled up against his solid chest.

"Percy," she whispered.

He opened his eyes straight away.

"Wha- Annabeth? What are you doing here?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. Nightmares. You don't mind if I stay in here, do you?"

"Um…" Percy glanced around. "Remember what happened last time we_"

Annabeth pushed him down and laid her head on his chest.

"I don't care," she said, closing her eyes. "I just don't want to be alone tonight. Final battle is tomorrow, Percy. What if- what if one of us_"

"Say no more," Percy tucked her head under his chin. "Night, Annabeth. Sweet dreams."

"Likely," Annabeth muttered, getting comfortable.

They were both snoring within seconds.

**Did you like? Please leave your opinion, and keep an eye out for when I post the next chapter!**

**And remember, reviews make me motivated to post quicker.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


	2. Part One- A Promise To Keep

**Title: Part One- A Promise To Keep  
Main Characters: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase  
Status: Final Battle of the Giant War**

**I suggest keep a few tissues by your side. I can guarantee you're going to need them.**

**Percy POV**

It was the morning of the final battle. The happiness from last night had been completely wiped from everybody's faces.

Fear, determination and anticipation made everybody remember the weariness, the pain from previous battles. I felt absolutely beat. My sword arm ached. In fact, my whole body ached. This was one of those times that I wished I still had the Curse of Achilles.

This was it. The final battle. The moment of truth. The moment, where we see if everything we've worked so desperately and bravely for, is worth it.

I could feel Annabeth's warm, comforting presence by my side. I literally saw images from every stage in my life, and Annabeth was in almost every single one of them, loyally by my side, being my tolerating acquaintance, best friend, and, eventually, protective girlfriend.

We looked into each other's eyes, for what could have been the last time, for all I knew.

I don't know how it happened, but somehow, we were suddenly in each other's arms. My face was buried in her hair. Tears were trailing down my cheeks.

I wasn't going to say anything reassuring. It would most likely backfire on me later.

We just held each other, relishing in one last loving moment. I knew that there was a possibility that one of us might not live to see the next sunrise. I was hoping against hope that it wouldn't be Annabeth. I'd lost her once, and that was unbearable. I couldn't go through that again.

"We're approaching the field, Team. Prepare for the final battle," Leo's flat voice echoed throughout the battered war ship that had once shone and gleamed but, like its crew, had been worn down and battle- wearied. I also noticed that, for once, Leo hadn't cracked a joke. The world was (literally) ending.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered.

I pulled back a hair and stared into her beautiful grey eyes. "Yeah?" I whispered back.

"I've never said this to you, or to _anyone _before, so consider yourself privileged."

I curled my lips slightly. Even in the gravest of times, she could still crack a joke.

"I just want you to know that- well," she broke off and kissed me suddenly, fervently. I was momentarily stunned, but I caught on soon, responding with more nerve than I'd ever expressed before.

She pulled back, breathing heavily. "I love you," she said. I froze. What?

"What?" I said, staring at her.

"You heard me." Her grey gaze was gravely piercing, even more so than usual.

A shudder rippled through the ship. My heart went into over drive. We had landed. But I couldn't leave her hanging, when I might never see her again after today.

"Annabeth_" I said, desperation in my voice. There was so much I needed to tell her. And I was out of time. _Just a few more seconds, _I pleaded silently to the gods.

Annabeth was looking up at me, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You don't have to say it back, just because. I just had to get that off my chest in case you died."

I caught her hands in mine. She had got the wrong message. I just didn't know _how _to say it back. "Annabeth_" I tried again.

But she was already pulling from my grip, walking away, presumably to suit up in armour and collect her knife.

I couldn't let her parade into battle without saying it back. What if she died? I'd be guilty for the rest of my life.

I jogged up behind her and caught her around the waist. Once again, we had a staring contest. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold the tears in. She was failing miserably.

"Annabeth," I whispered. "I- I- I don't know what to say_"

She shook her head and broke free. "Then don't say anything_"

"Percy! Annabeth! Let's go!" Piper called from top deck. I was out of time.

Annabeth began the ascent to the top deck. This was my last chance. I bounded up the stairs and caught her hand again. I bent down and kissed her fiercely. "Please don't die today. I love you too, Annabeth. I never thought I'd be saying that to anyone but my mum. But there you go." I took a deep breath and glanced at her.

She squeezed my hand one more time, met my eyes, then continued walking up the stairs.

It was eight scared, but determined demigods and one murderous looking satyr with a promising looking baseball bat against thousands of Gaia's minions.

I glanced at all my friends for what might have been the last time.

There was Piper, beautiful and determined, with her dagger Katoptris clenched in her hand;

Jason, handsome and ruthless, utterly unforgiving, like his almighty father Jupiter;

Hazel, young Hazel- only fifteen, yet so powerful and shadowed by this daunting prophecy;

Then there was large, bowling ball Frank, looking like he was about to change into a bull and charge Gaia head on;

Nico, looking as creepy and mysterious as ever, with his black hair, black clothes, black knife and even blacker expression- I admired him for having the courage to face Gaia, when he was only a tad older than Hazel;

Leo, who for once wasn't grinning like he was about to stick a screwdriver up your butt hole while distracting you with fire- in fact, he looked like he was about to go all Flame Ninja on Dirt Woman;

Coach Hedge, who was swinging his baseball bat while muttering, "Swing ba-da-ba-da, swing ba-da-ba- DIE!";

Then there was Annabeth. Annabeth. Need I say more? She looked strong and regal, like a queen, standing in the battle field, the wind tousling her blond hair, her eyes glowing with a fierce light, her bronze knife in hand.

I knew, in that moment, that I truly did love her. And that if she wasn't in this world tomorrow, then I wouldn't be too far behind her.

I saw Jason and Piper kiss farewell. Frank and Hazel were also sharing one last tender moment. We all bunched up, smiling in gratitude one last time. I knew we were all thinking the same thing: we may be about to die, but it wasn't too bad to die with such awesome friends as these.

There was complete silence. Then the earth itself swelled up into a giant face.

"It's time," Gaia said, her voice rocking the timbres of the ground. "Now you will see how puny your forces are against the great might of my army!"

As if on some telepathic agreement, the enemy charged forward as one. They swarmed forward in one giant tidal wave of Ancient Greek nasties.

A sudden spur of the moment thought struck me. It was now or never. The tidal wave was increasing in speed, the enemies choosing their targets, watching us.

I reached into my pocket and felt the object inside. I smiled slightly and glanced at Annabeth, retracting my hand from my pocket.

We all surged forward, screaming insults and swinging our weapons wildly.

"Annabeth!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard over the deafening sounds of thousands of monsters snarling and screaming, and of our friends shouting and shrieking right back. I dodged the strike of a dracaena and stabbed the snake woman through the gut and turned on a telekhine.

"Yeah?" she screamed back, taking on a hellhound.

"When this war is over, will you marry me?" She froze in her tracks after the hellhound burst into dust.

Another monster lunged at her, and she simply stuck her dagger out, and caught it in the right spot. I finished off the monster I was attacking, then quickly walked over to her.

She was staring at me. "What?" I took her hand.

"I mean it. Will you marry me when the war is over?"

She put her hands over her mouth, her eyes glistening. I quickly pushed her behind me and stabbed an oncoming monster.

I glanced behind me, to get attacked. By Annabeth. She had her arms around me, kissing my face, my neck, anywhere she could reach.

"I take that as a yes," I whispered, holding her. Then I was forced to drop her by an oncoming Cyclopes. She caught herself on her knees while I fought the snarling, mono- eyed monster.

I stabbed it in the gut and it exploded into dust all over me. I turned back to Annabeth, who was on her feet again. She grinned at me and I winked back. It literally hurt to let her go, but she had disappeared in the general chaos, and I was kept busy as monster after monster attacked me without break.

I was perfectly fine now, but I knew I would tire eventually- I couldn't go on forever. What would the morning bring?

* * *

By the time the first rays of sunshine had hit the horizon, I was dead on my feet. Our group of nine had come together. I think Hazel was asleep on her feet. Nico was a deathly ashen colour, Jason had a huge cut running down his arm that was bleeding heavily and Coach Hedge had lost his wooden cudgel, having replaced it with a large Cyclopes club.

We huddled together, back to back, forming a circle. Annabeth was pressed into my side, her eyes fluttering, already in Dream Land. She started to lightly snore.

"Heroes!" A deep voice boomed. Annabeth quickly stood erect, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. Hazel, who was on my other side, inhaled sharply through her teeth. She clutched my hand, and on her other side, she leaned into Frank.

Exhaustion hung heavy in the air. I bet we were all thinking of the cosy beds waiting back on the _Argo ll. _

"The Army of the Earth had been defeated. You have satisfied me greatly with your exquisite performance. I'm sure you all deserve a long night's rest. However, for me to annihilate the gods for good, their tools must be dismantled. It is to my great advantage that my army sacrificed themselves to tire you. I'm afraid the real battle has barely begun." The deep voice continued.

To my utter horror, the earth rumbled and out of a large tunnel that had appeared marched a line of Laistrygonian Giants, or Canadians, in English. Behind the Laistygonians came the Hyperboreans. And behind the Hyperboreans came the Big Shots themselves.

Polybotes and Alconyeus had returned. I saw Otis and Ephialtes. Jason cringed when he saw Porphyrion emerge.

We were doomed. The army was just a diversion. The _real _Giant War was only just beginning.

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

The fight was quick and brutal. None of us were expecting it, after a long, tiring night of endless fighting. Poor Hazel was knocked unconscious immediately by her father's rival Alcyoneus. Nico, Frank and Leo rushed to her aid. It was too late. Her body was dragged away, probably never to be seen again.

This strengthened my resolve against the Giants. Despite being so tired that my vision was starting to blur, I charged forward and took on a Laistrygonian. It was like playing that _Wack the Beaver! _game, where you have to try and hit the beaver with a mallet when it pops up. The giant tried to hit me with his club countless times, but I dodged every strike. Percy was running across the field towards me, ducking random strikes in his direction from enemies. He finally reached me, and stabbed the giant in the back of the thigh. He roared and turned on Percy. I slashed at the same spot that Percy had hit. The giant disintegrated.

The fight was a blur after that. I don't remember half of it.

It was much harder fighting the giants, especially in my critical state of exhaustion.

We lost Leo to a freezing gush of icicles from a particularly scary- looking Hyperborean. Even Leo's fire couldn't stand against the giant. We saved that giant especially for Jason and Piper to destroy.

Eventually, Coach Hedge was lost as well, to a particularly hungry Laistrygonian.

Slowly our numbers dwindled until on Percy, Jason, Frank and I were left. Jason was heartbroken. He had watched Piper die from two fatal blows on the head by a club wielded by a giant.

Nico had passed out from exhaustion, and was never seen again after Otis took his revenge for Nico escaping the giant bronze jar.

Poor Frank was devastated. Hazel had been the first to go.

But we stuck together after all those losses, watched each other's backs as two battled a giant and the other two kept watch.

We were slowly defeating the Giant Army. That is, until Frank was taken unawares by a giant who had crept up on us. Percy choked back a sob.

The circumstances were looking very, very grim. Jason and Percy each took one of my arms as we backed away from the advancing Giant Army. We all knew we were going to die.

Suddenly Percy ran forward. "Gaia!" he shouted. My heart leapt into my throat. What the Hades was he doing? "I propose an alternate compromise!" Oh, no. I hated that word. _Compromise. _Percy, what are you doing...

An invisible force seemed to halt the Giant Army.

"A compromise, you say, Sea Spawn?"

"That's right. A compromise." Percy stood with his back defiantly straight, his fists clenched.

On top of this horrifying situation, it started to pour torrential rain. Oh, just perfect.

"And what do you propose, Son of Poseidon?" Gaia's voice was amused, gently patronizing, even.

"I offer my life willingly in return for the safety of Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace."

Oh, no. No, no, no. Stupid Percy and his _stupid _bravery and courage and his _stupid stupid STUPID _but noble ideas.

He was giving his life to the enemy to save me. After all these years of fighting, he eventually surrenders. For me. For the sake of Love.

It's times like these when I loathe Aphrodite.

_Your love story will be a tragic one. _She had once said. I backed into Jason. He put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder.

"You would willingly give your life to me to save your little girlfriend," the Earth goddess mused.

"Yes. Willingly." Percy shook his head and water droplets were flung everywhere. A faint murmur could be heard from the hoards of giants.

Gaia considered the offer. There was deadly silence. Suspense hung in the air.

"Very well," she boomed. "Porphyrion, take him. Our business here is finished."

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Can I- I have to say goodbye." His voice broke on the word goodbye.

Without waiting for an answer, he jogged over to Jason and I and I tackled him to the ground and smacked his face, then kissed him passionately. He sat up and took my face in his hands, heedless of the huge red hand mark on his face. "Annabeth, I'm so, so sorry, but I want you to live a long and happy life, even without me, and you have to find someone else, and I love you so much_"

"Percy," I whispered. "This is really the end."

He looked into my eyes, his beautiful sea green eyes shadowed with fear, pain and determination. "Maybe for me. But you have your whole life ahead of you. Promise me you won't do anything rash. Promise me you'll live a happy life, find someone else_"

"Percy." I whispered, stroking his face. "It can't end this way. I will never find anyone else like you."

"Don't ever replace me," he grinned his signature grin, crookedly handsome and mischievous. "But you _will _find someone else you love, I guarantee. Just, please, Annabeth," he pleaded, all teasing gone now. "_Promise me. _As a last wish, you know?" Last wish. Percy was going to sacrifice himself to Gaia for me. _Last wish. _No.

Tears coursed down my cheeks. "Percy, _no_. Please don't do this. You proposed to me. We were going to get married…" I heard Jason inhale sharply, but he didn't comment.

"I'm sorry," Percy murmured. "So, so sorry." He scooped me up in his arms and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his shoulder, his throat. Our lips met in a passionate kiss. The fresh, cold rain water droplets intermingled with my warm, salty tears created a strange tingle on my face.

I didn't want to let Percy go. My arms refused to unwrap from his neck. He gently untangled himself from me.

"Promise, okay?" he whispered. "A happy life. With someone else." I managed a tiny nod. _Last wish_.

Percy stood up and pulled Jason, who had been trying to remain oblivious to our little scene, into a man hug. Percy's cheeks were wet, as were Jason's. I couldn't determine whether it was rain water or tears. My guess was both.

"Nice knowing you, Jackson," Jason said gravely, patting Percy's shoulder awkwardly.

"You too, Grace. Tell Thalia that she's still a Pinecone Face." Jason managed a tiny chuckle and he agreed. Percy glanced at me and added, "Please look after Annabeth for me."

Jason nodded and the two boys shook hands. Percy helped me up. I hugged him one last time, and we kissed.

Once again, I refused to unwrap my arms. Percy seemed reluctant to let go of me. But eventually we did. He kissed my forehead, his warm lips lingering. He grasped my hand one last time, then let go, our fingers touching, stretching towards each other, then he was gone.

And there was something in my hand. I didn't look. My eyes were glued to Percy.

He threw one last wink and reassuring grin my way as he trudged through the pouring rain towards Gaia and her minions.

"A lovely, heart warming scene, Percy Jackson," Gaia chuckled. "I'm sure your girlfriend would appreciate this sight. Lights out, hero." A giant bashed Percy's head with his club. My brave, idiotic boyfriend slumped forward onto the ground. Red liquid seeped out, intermingling with the rain.

I screamed and tried to run forward, but Jason constrained me. "Annabeth, he sacrificed himself. Gaia owns him now. You can't help him."

I sobbed into Jason's chest as Percy's dead body was dragged away.

It was over. The Giant War was finally over. And the biggest sacrifice yet had been made.

Bigger than Luke Castellan's sacrifice a few years ago, bigger than all those other people who had died because of the enemies of the gods.

Because Percy Jackson, the most famous hero of the century, had fallen.

I opened my clutched hand and looked at the little parting gift Percy had left me with.

I choked on another scream.

Because it was a ring. Not a real engagement ring, mind you. Just a cheap plastic thing with coloured glass instead of diamonds, painted a tinny silver. I recognised it. He had been wearing it last night, as part of his costume.

I closed my hand protectively over it. I would treasure it forever.

I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply against the coming tears, holding my precious ring in cupped hands to my heart, where I would wear it at my heart forever.

**What did you think? Poor Percy…**

**Also, just to clear a few things up, there were no gods to help defeat the giants because I didn't really know ****_how_**** the gods would defeat their respective giants. **

**And, is Nico or Hazel older? Like, in number age, not literal age- so, it's not counting the time Hazel spent in the Underworld, or the time Nico spent in the Lotus Casino.**

**Please review, tell me what you think might happen next!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana :():**


	3. Part Two- Grief

**Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting so many reviews. But don't stop! You guys made my day. Or, couple of days. I couldn't stop smiling.**

**Did anyone feel the need to keep tissues handy? I did, and that's kinda lame, cause I ****_know _****what's gonna happen.**

**Someone commented on Hazels age. If you had read the AN at the beginning of the chapter, it would have cleared some stuff up. And, no, to someone else's review. Jason and Annabeth are most certainly NOT going to be a couple. That's just wrong.**

**Oh, I forgot, Merry Christmas! I can update quicker now, since I got a computer for Christmas! How awesome is that?!**

**Anyway, on with the story.**

**Title: Part Two- Grief  
Main Characters: Annabeth Chase  
Status: Continues from where Part One left off.**

**Annabeth POV**

The tears were unstoppable. They poured down my face, the supply endless.

Jason stood straight, hard and unmovable as a Roman stone pillar. Misery was etched deep in the contours of his handsome face. He refused to openly cry, his Roman pride controlling him even in his moments of grief.

I had always doubted this son of Jupiter, questioned his loyalty to our cause. I regretted it profoundly. Jason had lost as much as I had in this war. We had something gravely in common now: we had both watched our friends, and our lovers, be murdered before our eyes.

I wanted him to share his grief, for him to share his grief with me. He still refused to look at me, instead choosing to stare at the empty, soggy field that bared no trace of evidence of the horrific massacre that had taken place less than twenty minutes ago.

I wanted Jason to give me the friendly comfort that I yearned for- I wanted him to give me a reassuring smile, or even just a sympathetic, empathetic glance to let me know that he was human. I wanted him to do what Percy- _Percy_. His name sent anguished chills through my body- would have done if he were still here.

But, no. Jason looked as cold and unforgiving as Zeus himself. The tears flowed silently, steadily. An endless waterfall, fed by the misery and anger and hatefulness of the injustice of the cruel Fates.

Everything I loved had been destroyed. And it all came down to one word.

_Percy_.

His name conjured up a thousand memories and emotions within me.

I choked on another round of relentless sobbing.

I wished I could have maintained an expressionless face, like Jason's- stone hard, free of emotion, his eyes glassy and lifeless.

I would have rathered to mourn in private.

We slowly trudged back to our battered war ship. The _Argo II _had certainly seen better days. It was leaning badly to starboard. The sails were tattered and ripped, the pale material fluttering in the chilling drafts of cold air like deathly white ghosts, silently howling their grief.

The celestial bronze hull was damaged beyond repair, sporting all kinds of burns, holes (therefore disenabling it to travel via sea) and remaining monster slime. Leo would have been devastated to witness what his beautiful ship, his work of art, had become.

I didn't want to board that thing again. It looked like a ghost ship, groaning and creaking, the sky dark with black storm clouds, the ground wet and muddy, water running in trails down the slight slope.

My companion wasn't helping matters either, silent and sullen as he was. He walked like there was a pole stuck up his ass, his back straight, chin thrust forward. His face was unreadable. I reluctantly followed him onto the ship.

Sadness hung heavy in the air as I navigated the dim hallways towards my cabin. The lights flickered on, one wavery bulb by one. I had a strange feeling, like somehow, I wasn't alone in the empty hallways. Like… like the ghosts of my lost friends were still lurking, haunting me.

_You let us die! _They screamed at me. _We died and yet you still live! _The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and my hand subconsciously grasped the hilt of my bronze knife.

I reached my cabin and pushed the door open, the hinges squeaking ominously. I slumped down on my bed, burying my face in my pillow.

I wanted Percy.

I got up, walked to his cabin, and kicked open the door, scared to touch something that _he _had touched so recently. A waft of stale, stagnant air hit me in the face. I wrinkled my nose. It already smelled like he hadn't been here for a while. I breathed deeply, once again fighting a losing battle with the tears.

Glancing around his messy cabin, seeing all his possessions that he would never return to, stirred melancholy and wistful feelings inside of me.

I sat down on his bed, and grabbed his pillow, hugging it to my chest, it smelled like him- salty and refreshing.

I inhaled the comforting scent and was about to lay down on his bed when I noticed the collection of pictures on his desk.

One of them caught my eye immediately. I walked over to inspect it.

It was of us- the day the Titan War ended almost three years ago. We were sitting, talking at the mess hall, stuffing blue cake into our mouths, leaning forward, just about to kiss, the sun sinking below the horizon.

I don't remember the actual photo being taken, but I do remember seeing it pinned to the camp's billboard the next day, embarrassing the crap out of Percy and I. Percy had quickly snatched the photo off the billboard and shoved it in his pocket.

I stared at that photo depicting the deep, pure love that Percy and I had shared.

Before the heartbreak overwhelmed me, I moved on to the next photo.

The next photo on his desk was of me. That alone was enough to make me bite my lip, which tasted salty from the tears. The salt reminded me painfully of P- of _him. _

I studied the photo. I dimly remembered it being taken: me posing, the flash of the camera- it was when my dad took me on a vacation to Washington D.C- oh, gosh. I actually _do_ remember. It was about six years ago, and I was posing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, grinning like I'd personally designed it. Oh my gods, he _kept_ that photo? I looked like a total doof, what with my hair tucked into a sky blue bandana.

It was sweet that he'd saved the photo though, after I sent it to him through the mail.

The last photo was really blurry- hard to make out any people. As I picked the photo up and squinted at it, I eventually distinguished Thalia, Grover, me – I soon realised that it was of all the senior counsellors sitting around the ping pong table in Camp Half- Blood's rec room, during one of those informal war meetings we used to have before the summer of the Titan War.

Grover was carrying a tray of crackers and Cheese Whiz.

Thalia had an arrow notched (I couldn't see who at. Probably Percy), and a murderous look in her eye as if to say, "You take one step and I kill you."

Then there was Percy himself, caught with a very unflattering expression on his face – it seemed he was just turning to face the photographer as the picture was taken. His mouth was half open, eyes squinted and hands splayed in front of his face. I almost cracked a smile until I remembered why I was even in his cabin. I bit my lip and continued studying the photo.

I saw Silena Beauregard, who was in the motion of reaching for Charles Beckendorf's hand.

Katie Gardner was sending a furious glare towards the Stoll brothers, who looked like they were in the process of placing some sort of green stuff in Will Solace's blond hair. No surprise there, Katie had always despised the Stoll brothers and their silly antics.

Next to Katie was Clarrise la Rue, who was turning a blind eye towards everything that was happening in the war counsel while polishing her knife.

At the head of the table was Chiron, who posed an amused but slightly annoyed expression on his face.

Seeing all my friends so carefree and happy, even in times of great stress, made a pang of loneliness and longing shoot through me. I so desperately needed to feel Percy's arms around me, hear his voice telling me he loves me one last time.

I forced my eyes to look at me in the picture. What had I been thinking at that moment? I was looking at Percy, while in the action of laughing. Probably him being his usual Seaweed Brained self.

I now remembered when this picture had been taken. It was about a week before Beckendorf had been blown up on the _Princess Andromeda _mission.

I could feel myself snapping again. It was like my physical body was slowly being unravelled, and the inside was hollow. I broke down into tears. "Percy!" I screamed into his pillow. "Why? _Why?_" I sat up and looked around wildly. My gaze settled on my bronze knife, which I had subconsciously brought with me to Percy's cabin.

There was a way to get back to him. All it would take was an ounce of courage.

I got to the point where the tip of my blade was pressed to the inside crease of my wrist. My vision was blurred through the tears.

"Annabeth!" I looked up to see a boy standing at the doorway of Percy's cabin.

"Percy?" I asked hopefully, my voice so small and pitiful that I winced.

"No, it's Jason. Jason Grace. Are you okay?" _Does it look like I'm okay, Jason- who-the-fuck-are-you- Grace? _I screamed silently. My heart fell as the boy approached. His hair was blond and neatly trimmed. He was stocky and muscular, neither slender nor lean.

Emotions swelled up inside of me that yearned to be released.

I tried to breathe deeply to calm myself. However, my plan failed when Jason's cold fingers touched me. I screamed, jerking wildly, and the blade, which was still pressed to my wrist, slashed. Pain brought me back to reality.

I saw bright bursts of colour explode like fireworks, a collage of rainbows, before whimpering under my breath and focusing on Jason. He was staring down at me warily. Blood seeped from the slash on my wrist and trickled into my lap, staining my favourite jeans.

"Annabeth," Jason said carefully, speaking slowly and softly like he was afraid I was going mental. "I was trying to start the ship so that we can depart to Camp Half- Blood, but I can't find the 'on' switch." This remark reminded me painfully of super- hyper Leo.

"There is no simple 'on' switch." I said, my voice hollow. "You have to flick all the switches on the right leader board upwards, press the 'up' button on the Wii remote three times, then on a touch screen that will retract from the dash, you have to select 'flight mode'. To raise the sails, wave the Wii remote in circles until they are at the height you wish. Leo," a stab of pain flashed across Jason's face, "Made it really complicated so that the ship couldn't be hijacked easily."

Jason nodded, then glanced down at the bloody cut on my wrist. "Would you like some ambrosia?" he asked cautiously. I looked down at the cut it appeared to be worse than it really was.

I shrugged, bitterness eating up my insides. "Doesn't matter, not when some of us are dead." The word hung heavy in the air. Jason looked down. I knew he was trying to hide his tears. His shoulders shook.

Once he'd gained control of himself, he straightened out and glared at me. "I promised your boyfriend I would look after you!"

"Yeah, well, he's dead. Your oath dies with him." As I said that, the last line of the prophecy flashed through my mind. _An oath to keep with a final breath. _My fists clenched. So that was the Great Prophecy completed.

I got up and stormed out the door, yet another memory of Percy filling my mind. Luke Castellan had said exactly the same thing I had said to Jason to Percy when Percy had killed his immortal half- brother Antaeus in Daedalus's Labyrinth.

"What, so you're _not_ going to fulfil his last wish of you?" Jason asked incredulously, following me out into the hallway.

I stopped, staring at the wall ahead of me, refusing to look back. "I never said that. My point was that you're not obliged to take care of me. I'm in perfectly capable hands already. My own." I heard his disbelieving snort, but I kept walking.

I made it to top deck. The cool night breeze cleared my head of cloudiness. The slash on my wrist stung slightly as the wind hit it.

I walked to the controls panel. Festus turned towards me, creaking and moaning. I didn't speak machine, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was expressing his sorrow over Leo's death.

I patted the metal figurehead. "I know, buddy," I said sadly, beginning the process of turning the ship on. "I _know._"

* * *

**Jason's POV**

Piper. Beautiful, brave, insecure Piper. I wanted to howl, to wail, to shriek to the heavens. "How could you take away the only thing that I love in this world?" I wanted to scream to my dad, and all those other morons up there who let my one true love die.

The injustice of the situation was sickening.

So many people (or goats) gone. Hazel. Leo. Percy. Frank. Nico. Coach Hedge. _Piper. _

I clenched my jaw, turning away from those prying, sorrowful, questioning grey eyes that probed me, searched my soul, looked for answers that I was unwilling to give.

I just wanted to be alone. I knew I could trust Annabeth, but only to a certain degree. We were of completely different origins.

If you looked at the godly DNA side of it, I was, like, her great half uncle or something like that, which made no sense because I was a year younger than her.

Confusing? Baffling? Mind blowing? Hell yeah.

While Annabeth was turning on the ship, I laid down stomach first on my bed and closed my eyes, breathing slowly and deeply. My heart felt heavy and it thudded, agonizingly slow. Soon, the drone of the ship's engine as it was powered up, my pounding brain- soon, it all came rushing to my head and I blacked out with one last thought on my mind: _Piper._

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

After I had been navigating for about five hours, flying about a hundred metres above the Mare Nostrum, Jason appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes, his usually neat hair wild. He must have been really exhausted to sleep for that long when so much had happened today, and this close to the sea.

I turned back to the wheel and continued to lean against it, staring out at the beautiful ocean, the dim light the moon cast over the water, the shadows in the swell as waves coiled and writhed like snakes.

"Hey," Jason said softly, walking up behind me. He laid a hand on my shoulder. I flinched. He quickly lifted his hand. I ignored him, instead staring out at the water. "Annabeth," he said, a little firmer.

"What?" I snapped, wincing at the croak in my voice.

"I'll take over. You need rest."

The longing for a nice, long sleep in a warm bed made my limbs feel weak and floppy like jelly.

"No." I said without thinking. I focused more intently on the ocean, even imagining I could see the green of Percy's eyes in the depths of his father's territory.

Jason pushed me off the wheel, obstructing my view of the water.

"Hey!" I frowned indignantly.

Jason pushed me towards the stairs. I stumbled and he caught me. "Annabeth," he said sternly. "Sleep."

I grunted and wriggled out of his grip, rolling my eyes at his Roman sense of responsibility. I resisted the urge to mention the fact that I'm older than him, therefore _I _should be ordering _him _around. But I didn't have the energy to argue. I gritted my teeth and mumbled, "Wake me at sunrise." Jason nodded and I retreated to the hallways, making my way to my cabin.

Some unseen force took over my limbs, and before I knew it, I was settling down in Percy's bed. I rolled over and pulled his blanket over me when a voice said, "Daughter of Athena."

I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes to see through the dimness. "Hello? Who is that?" My eyes strained against the darkness.

I suddenly noticed the tall, dark haired man looming above me. I gasped and pushed back against the wall.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

The man chuckled, and my heart thudded painfully in my chest. That laugh… so familiar… I knew who this man was immediately.

"Lord Poseidon." I breathed.

The man's arrogant air seemed to crumble then. He sat on the edge of the mattress, his shoulders slumped.

"Please tell me, Annabeth. Is it true?" he asked, turning to me. His dark green eyes glowed softly.

Of course I knew what he was talking about. "I'm sorry." I whispered. "But your son_"

Poseidon's head dropped. "I just needed to make sure before I created a shroud worthy of a great hero," he said softly.

And then I was crying again. I tried to wipe at the tears, to no avail. I sniffed, and said, "I'm so sorry, My Lord, I just_"

"My dear girl. You may cry in my presence. I understand your relationship with my son was… quite- serious?"

I sniffled. _Was_. "He- he sacrificed himself to- to save _me_!" I sobbed. I froze when I suddenly felt Poseidon's arms wind around me. Was this man- this _god_, the rival of my mother, actually trying to _comfort _me?

But I didn't care. I needed some fatherly comfort, the type of comfort my own father had never spared for me. I buried my head in the sea Lord's muscular chest. Percy and his father were so alike, that I even thought for a minute that this man was my boyfriend. I pursed my lips ready for a reassuring kiss, when he pulled away, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

I pulled back and gasped under my breath, probably blushing furiously. Had I been about to kiss a god? Oh, gods…

"Um," I muttered. "Uh, thanks." I fiddled with my duvet slip.

Poseidon stood up, and I scrambled to hop off my bed and bow before he blasted me to ashes for being so bold. I shivered when I felt his hand on my shoulder. "Annabeth. Look at me." I couldn't disobey that voice. I looked up.

Poseidon's eyes, though dark with grief, were kind. How could this kind god ever have kept a feud going with my mother? He was being so good to me, when he ought to hate me for getting involved with his son.

"Yes, My Lord?" I murmured.

Poseidon's hand tightened on my shoulder. "You _are _going to keep your promise, aren't you?" And then the god shimmered into nonexistence, leaving a salty breeze and a red coral pendant. I gasped, reaching down to pick it up. I had thought I would never see it again. Percy had brought it from the bottom of the sea for me. It had been attached to my camp bead necklace, and while I was in Tartarus, the red piece of coral had gotten caught on a spire of rock as Percy and I were escaping from a hoard of monsters. I had never got it back.

I fell asleep cradling the red coral pendant to my heart, where I would wear it next to Percy's costume ring as a reminder of my lost love.

* * *

It took a total of two weeks to reach Long Island. As the _Argo II _pulled into Camp Half- Blood, it seemed the whole camp was assembled at the base of the ship. The gangplank lowered, and Jason and I began the descent to the ground. The camp cheered.

Chiron held up his hand for silence, but the gathered demigods, satyrs and nymphs still continued to scream their joy at the fact that Jason and I had returned. Chiron trotted forwards, the smile on his face beginning to morph into confusion. "Annabeth, my dear!" Chiron embraced me. "How you've grown in the last two years!" He turned to Jason. "And, Jason! What a pleasure. But where_?"

I shook my head, tears beginning to fall of their own will. The camp fell silent by their own accord. "Chiron," I began, my voice strained. "The others- the others, well_" Jason put his hand on my shoulder as I began to sob. I couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"Chiron," Jason said, his voice dry and cracking. "Annabeth and I are all that are left."

Chiron stood frozen. "Percy…?"

I shook my head again, unable to do anything else. Tears flew from my face, and I started to run, pushing through the mobs of people. I heard my name being called, but I didn't care. I entered the bathroom and gripped the sink, staring into my reflected eyes in the mirror. I bent my head and spat mucus down the plug hole, unable to let go of the vanity. My knees trembled.

"Annabeth?" a soft voice asked. My fingers went white with strain. "Annabeth, it's Thalia."

Thalia? I looked up into the mirror, and in the reflection, I saw the black haired Huntress standing, a gentle look in her electric blue eyes.

"Thalia!" I flung myself at her and hugged her hard. I was now the same height as her. It was weird to know that I was now four years older than her, her being fifteen and me being nineteen. She had always been my elder, and much, much taller than me.

"Annabeth," Thalia whispered, stroking my back. "Is it true? About- about the others?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice. "How did he die?" she asked, holding me to her. I sniffed, knowing who she was talking about. "He would have lived if it weren't for me."

Thalia took a step back. "You didn't answer my question. How did he die?" she gripped my shoulders, staring into my eyes.

I looked down. "He s-sacrificed himself to G-Gaia to s-save me and J-Jason." And then I was sobbing again, hugging Thalia with all my strength.

I saw Thalia nod in the mirror. "I always knew that boy was too stupidly brave for his own good."

"I saw Poseidon," I mumbled. "He came to me the night after- after the final battle."

Thalia inhaled sharply. "That doesn't sound good."

I shook my head. "No, he helped me a lot. He- he hugged me. Acted like a father towards me."

"No ulterior motives?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm sure of it. I think he just wanted some comfort in terrible times. His son just died, after all."

Thalia looked at me. I wiped my eyes. "Now what?" she asked.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. "First, I have to try and forgive myself for sending Percy to his death." Thalia glared at me. "Then, I have to fall in love with someone else."

"You could join the Hunters. Artemis wouldn't mind, as long as you're still a vir_"

"Thalia!" I yelped, clapping my hand over the Huntress's mouth. "We only dated for three years!"

Thalia shrugged. "Some girls give themselves up to their boyfriends within the first week/"

"Thalia. Can you seriously imagine _Percy _and I… ugh!"

Thalia's face wrinkled. "No, and I seriously do not _want _to imagine that."

"And, besides, I can't join the Hunters." I continued, my face on fire after my friend's last remark.

"Why not? Artemis could make an exception for you, since you're not in a relationship anymore."

I looked down, a heavy ball of misery settling in my stomach. "I'll always love him," I mumbled. "And he loves me. That's a relationship, right?"

Thalia's brow crinkled. "How do you fall in love with someone else, if you're already in love with him? And, by the way, you couldn't have chosen like, I don't know, someone _other _than my Kelp Headed cousin to fall in love with?"

I ignored the part about her Kelp Headed cousin, instead shrugging and saying, "I don't know. But the last thing Percy asked of me was for me to fall in love with someone else. I have to do that for him. I don't want any bedraggled souls coming back from the Underworld to haunt me for breaking my oath."

Thalia wrinkled her nose again, like this conversation was planting some disturbing images in her mind. "I still say give it all up and join the Hunters. But I know you'll do what you have to do." She hugged me. "I think you should go see Chiron. He's quite upset, I imagine. Percy was one of his favourite students…"

I nodded, kissing her on the cheek. "Thanks, Thalia," I whispered before departing the bathroom and making my way to the Big House.

* * *

I was stopped countless times by people as I made my way to the Big House.

First, it was Clarrisse: "So, Prissy's dead, eh? Not surprised," she scoffed. "He never really was a match for Mother Nature."

"You don't know what happened!" I cried, clenching my fists. I wanted to punch her in the face. How could she say something so insensitive? "He died a brave and noble death! A hero's death, by sacrificing himself to save Jason and I!"

Clarrisse's expression softened a tad. "Look, I didn't mean it, okay? I'm proud that he lived up to his big- shot title."

I nodded and walked away.

Next came Jake Mason and some of his siblings. Jake walked with a slight limp, from that severe accident he had a couple of years ago by trying to mend Festus. "Annabeth," he said in his deep voice. "We're sorry about Percy. But- did Leo really_"

I gritted my teeth. "I'm sorry guys. Leo isn't coming back. He'll go to Elysium, okay?" A little guy, maybe ten years old, burst into tears.

A buff looking girl in the group patted him on the back. "Hey, Harley, Leo's a lucky boy. He's going to ultimate Underworld party headquarters! He'll be happy now."

The Hephaestus group walked away. I was almost to the Big House when the Aphrodite group approached me. I gulped. Drew was at the head. Her hair had been dyed a golden honey- blond, and, if it was possible, it looked like her bosom had grown a few inches in the last two years I'd been away.

I tried to inconspicuously dodge the group, but it was impossible. I eventually just gave up, and came to a stop right at the stairs of the Big House porch.

"What do you want, Drew? I'm busy."

A little blond girl with straight white teeth, like she'd worn braces her whole life, bounced to the front, despite the hands of an older blond boy holding her back. "Where's Piper?" she asked, looking around eagerly, like her older half sister might be hiding under the porch, or down my pants.

I sighed. I was _not _in the mood for this. "Piper is not coming back, okay? She'll- she'll go to Elysium in the end." I stared beyond the group, beyond the camp, into the blue, blue sky that had streaks of grey running across it.

"Piper_" the little girl had a confused expression on her face. "Elysium? But that's- that's in the _Underworld_!"

I bit my lip, looking down at her. "I know, kiddo." I said softly.

"Hey, Lacey," Drew said kindly. I glanced at her, surprised. Since when did _Drew _speak kindly to anyone? "Why don't we go decorate her shroud? You can design it if you want."

Lacey still looked like she wanted to burst into tears, but she looked down, and let Drew lead her away.

I sighed and climbed the porch stairs, my feet thudding across the wood.

* * *

Chiron was staring into the roaring fire when I found him. He was in wheel chair form.

"Chiron?" I tapped his shoulder.

He looked up at me, and I saw tears in his eyes. Now, _that _was a shocker. In all the years I'd known the old centaur, never had I seen him _cry_.

"I knew it was wrong," he said, rubbing his hand down his face. "I shouldn't have gotten too attached to the boy."

With a start, I realised he was talking about Percy. I sat down on the arm of the couch beside him. "Chiron," I whispered.

My teacher glanced at me. "Yes, Annabeth?"

I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his cheek. "Nothing. I'm just glad to be back." Chiron patted me on the head awkwardly. I doubted demigods hugged him often.

* * *

Next, I saw Grover. He broke down in tears himself when he saw me, and before I knew it, we were hugging each other senseless. "Oh, Annabe-e-eth," he bleated.

My eyes were streaming by this point as well. "You should be proud of him," I said. "He died a hero, as he always wanted to."

There was a mournful silence.

Then something struck me. "Grover?"

"Mmm?" We were now sitting on the ground, leaning against a fallen log.

"Why aren't you dead?"

He looked at me startled, but then it sank in what I was really asking. "Oh, the empathy link was destroyed when Hera stole his memories. She didn't want anything getting in the way of her 'brilliant' plan."

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the log. "I can't believe I'm back here."

"Neither can I, actually. After we stopped getting updates on your progress about three months ago, we lost hope that _any _of you were alive."

"You know," I started. "Gaia isn't defeated. She simply disappeared after she- after she killed_" I buried my head in my hands, shoulders trembling.

"You don't have to say it," Grover said gently.

I smiled gratefully at him.

I was lucky that I had such great friends, even if half of them were dead.

* * *

"Percy Jackson was a loyal friend, a talented swordsman and a brave soul. He died for a noble cause and his memory will forever reside in our minds. Gods bless his spirit." Chiron finished his speech, and waved me over to the podium.

I faced the audience, tears brimming in my eyes. We were at Percy's burial ceremony. His shroud, which was hanging just above the flames, was jet black with a bright green trident sewn in the centre. Poseidon had done a terrific job with the shroud. I gulped, then opened my mouth to start.

"Percy Jackson." I said. His name echoed around the silent amphitheatre. "What words come to our minds when his name is spoken?" I let the silence ensue for a little longer. Then I continued, "Loyal. Courageous. Idiotically brave. A hero." I let that sink in. I had written a speech, but it just didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. These words were coming purely from my heart.

"Percy was a kind person at heart. He had a sense of humour, and was always ready to lend anyone a helping hand, from a poodle in a pram, to screeching old ladies." Moments from many of our adventures came to mind.

"I must admit: he wasn't perfect. He had his flaws." I laughed bitterly. "In fact, his fatal flaw was personal loyalty, and this fatal flaw was the reason he died in the first place." I didn't meet anyone's eyes, instead staring into the distance, wishing I were anywhere but _here_. "But could anybody listen to me retell all of his quests, every single time he helped the gods, even when he wasn't obliged to, and say to my face that he wasn't a true hero?" I met every single person's eyes and all of them looked right back at me- some with fear, some with pity, and some with respect.

"Percy Jackson died a hero. In our minds he will forever remain a true god of courage. His physical body is gone, but his spirit remains immortal- and a hundred years in the future, men will regale the amazing adventures of Percy Jackson. Two hundred years into the future, Percy will be regarded as the new- age Heracles. And five hundred years into the future, there will be a new name that every demigod, satyr, nymph and mortal will remember- whether it's in detail, or just a mere dim memory. And that name? Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon."

I stood at the podium for a few moments, before nodding, and returning to my seat.

The ceremony was a blur after that. The shroud was burnt. The smoke from the silky material curled up into the sky- and then the wisps disappeared from view, his last entrails given to the gods.

* * *

This was the last leg of a heart breaking journey. Apart from the obvious, this was probably the most painful part. Telling his mum.

I held the phone in my hand, the number already dialled. I braced myself and pressed the green button. It rang out. I tried again, but yet again, it was sent straight to voicemail. On the third time, I left a message saying that I needed to speak to her about an important matter, and I would be waiting at her house by three o clock in the afternoon. It was eleven.

I had three hours to kill before I left. I settled down on my bed and stuck my nose in a book. Before I knew it, I was snoring.

**_TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER_**

"Hey, Annabeth!" somebody shoved me. I made a strangled sound, sort of a snort cross a groan, and sat up, rubbing my eyes, disorientated.

"Ugh?" I asked intelligently. Percy must have rubbed off on me all those years. I was losing my touch.

"It's me, Grover!"

"Hmm? Oh, okay. Where's Percy?" I asked, still half asleep.

"Oh, um…"

Then I remembered. My good spirits were deflated immediately.

"Oh, Grover," I said, my voice flat. "I have to get ready to go to Sally's. Thanks for waking me."

"Um, about that…" Grover stared into my eyes. "I'm coming with you. You can't stop me from going with you."

I slipped out of bed, dragging a brush through my hair. "Okay." I shrugged. "You can come."

Grover looked surprised that I'd caved so easily.

"So…" he said. "When do we leave?"

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table, then switched into second gear. "About five minutes, so get ready and have your furry butt at Half- Blood Hill in three minutes, or I'm leaving you behind." And with that, I pushed him out of my cabin so that I could get changed into my best jeans, and a clean shirt.

* * *

I sipped my lemonade and then bit into a blue cookie. My insides felt heavy.

"So, Annabeth!" Sally chirped. "What brings you here? And where's Percy?"

The wince must have shown on my face, because her smile faded away, and a frown replaced it.

"Oh, dear. What's happened? Percy's alright, isn't he?"

I put my cookie down and exchanged glances with Grover. He opened his mouth to say something, but I put my hand on his arm. I wanted to tell the story.

So I did. I told her everything, even the bit about his last wish.

"Percy died a hero," I concluded. I don't know how many times I've either heard that or said it myself in the past two days. "He died for a noble cause, and guilt will eat at me for the rest of my life because he died because of _me_."

The worst part after I said it was that Sally didn't say anything to reassure me. She sat back in her chair, a dazed expression on her face.

"My son…" she whispered. "Percy." Her gaze focused on me intently. I squirmed in my chair. "Percy is dead." She said.

I looked down in shame. "Yes."

"Oh, honey, you can't blame yourself," she crooned, pulling me into her embrace. I let myself break. We cried together, like a mother and a daughter, while Grover stood to the side uncomfortably, his own eyes swimming with unshed tears.

Briefly, a thought flickered across my mind. Why hadn't _my_ mother showed up to comfort me? My boyfriend's mother was being a better mother to me than my own mother. Heck, my boyfriend's _father_, who just happens to _hate _my mother, comforted me better than my mother _and _my father combined. Man, Percy is- sorry, _was _a lucky boy.

Sally let go of me all too soon, and then drew Grover into her embrace. I slumped at the table, staring at the blue cookies that no longer looked very appetizing.

All they were was a painful reminder of the past.

* * *

Years passed. Gaia didn't return. And she showed no signs of stirring. It made everyone suspicious that she was planning something big.

But it was something we would have to worry about when the time came.

I became a senior counsellor, helped the newbies. One day, a daughter of Poseidon stumbled over the crest of Half- Blood Hill, chased by a nasty hoard of monsters. Her name was Amelia Neptune de Preeze (That made me wonder whether her mother knew who her father was, or if it was just pure chance that her middle name happened to be one of her godly father's many names). She had reddish blond hair and sea green eyes. I made her my special case. I told her about her famous big half brother, Perseus Jackson, my old boyfriend. Her beautiful eight year old eyes widened in amazement when I retold the deeds that Percy committed, all the dangerous quests he went on. I was twenty three when she turned nine.

I never forgot Percy. Well, some little things slipped my mind, like the exact colour of his eyes (though I would look into Amelia's eyes to remind myself, it just wasn't the same as the real thing), the feeling of his knotted, silky hair in my fingers, the pitch of his laugh. I never took the ring, nor the coral pendant, off of my camp necklace.

I didn't date for a long, long time. My parents and my mortal friends pushed guys at me, but I rejected guy after guy, because none of them, not _one_, matched up to the man Percy had been.

Until I met Joel Ansell. At first glance, he was just yet another man who wanted nothing more than to date and dump.

He was my best friend from college, Kelli Anderson's older brother's best mate. He was twenty four, the same age Percy would have been if he'd been alive.

Joel wasn't overly handsome, but he certainly wasn't ugly. He had shaggy dark brown hair, and his eyes were a mild green. Maybe that's what drew me to him more so than other men. No, his eyes weren't the same as Percy's. They were of completely different shades. But I liked green. It was my favourite colour.

Joel and I began to hang out. He took me to lunch, to the cinemas, to the park. I learnt how to ride a skateboard, and he learned a whole bunch of facts about how Hoover Dam was built, about the hows and whats of the Golden Gate Bridge and other random little facts on my favourite monuments.

We got along great. We were so easy together that a pang of guilt went through me one day. _Percy. _I didn't want to replace my old boyfriend with a new man- a man with the same sense of humour, the same easy- goingness.

_"A happy life. With someone else." _His words echoed through my mind. _"Never replace me." _Never could a man such as Percy be easily replaced.

But, after I'd known Joel for two years, and he bent the knee and held out the ring to me, I hesitated for only a second to say yes.

**I know, I know. I'm a Percabeth destroyer. Sue me. If you don't like the gist of this story, don't read. I hate flamers. **

**Please don't stop reading here! There is TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! Got that?**

**Please, please PLEASE I'm begging you, guys. Review, tell me your opinions. If you have something to say, say it! Favourite, follow, so that you know when I update next. And FYI, I update faster with more reviews. HINT HINT.**

**Okay, thanks for reading guys.**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana :)**


	4. Part Three- New Beginnings

**Hola peoples. That last chapter put a little dampen on your holiday, didn't it?**

**I just have to say to a random guest who reviewed: **I appreciate your opinion, but no reason to be a hater. This story was supposed to be angsty and melancholy, and it DOES have a plot. The whole inspiration for the story will be revealed in the last chapter.

**Also, to Guests who review, could you leave a name so that I can refer to you by anything other than 'Guest'?**

**Title: Part Four- New Beginnings  
Main Characters: Annabeth Chase and my OC, Joel Ansell  
Status: Four months after the happenings of the last chapter**

**Yet again, I'm sorry for killing Percabeth. **

**And, btw, Joel is a MORTAL, not demigod.**

My heart was in over drive. My head pounded. My palms were sweaty. In fact, my whole body was sweaty. Sweat ran down my temples, into my eyes. My beaded camp necklace sat heavy at my throat.

Joel had insisted that I wear white pearls to match the dress, but I had refused. On such a special day as today, I wanted what was important to me next to my heart, giving me courage and warm encouragement. I imagined Chiron's kind smile, his gentle eyes with that look of sympathy, silently urging me to do the right thing.

So, here I was, doing the right thing. I was getting married. Moving on. With someone other than Percy. I was tempted to run away right then, get away from this day. Run back, about three years, back to that day that my best friend and one true love had died protecting me. But I doubted I would get far in this heavy dress that weighed me down, brought me down even further than the guilt did.

If it weren't for Percy's last wish of me, I would still be a loner. Guys would still be knocking on my door and calling in the middle of the night, trying to gain my attention, and affection. Joel was the only guy who had managed to lift my spirits. But not even his handsome smiling face could compare with the mischievous, trouble- making glint Percy always got in his eye when he was excited.

I sighed and stared at myself in the vanity mirror. If the makeup _hadn't_ been enchanted by Aphrodite to stay on no matter what the circumstances, I would have wiped it all off.

The dress I wore was yet another one of Aphrodite's 'works of art'. It had a tight, satiny bodice with a gossamer silk shawl, and the skirt hugged my legs in a warm embrace that was neither tight nor loose. Layers over layers of silk covered the tight inside of the skirt, and it flounced when I walked. The love goddess had insisted on 'helping' me on this day of love.

_It's my job, my responsibility, _the goddess's words swirled through my head.

It made me wonder- did she know about Percy's last words? Had she somehow been communicating with him in the Underworld? It would be just like him to organize something with Aphrodite, to make sure that I found someone who would be just right for me.

If that was the case, was my relationship with Joel just a result of Aphrodite messing with my love life (again)? If so, I was hesitant to marry a man whom the love goddess had toyed with.

_Stop making assumptions, _I scolded myself. _Joel loves you, and you love him. _

Still, a distant, dark corner of my mind whispered, _Are you sure about that?_

* * *

"Joel Ansell," Reverend Sunmaster intoned. "do you take this woman, Annabeth Chase, to be your lawful wedded wife, to have an to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part?"

Joel turned to me, adoration in his eyes. "I do with all my heart."

The confident way in which he said those words made me feel worse. Would I be able to say my vow as confidently? I knew _'with all my heart'_ that Percy still owned a part of me. Would I be able to accept Joel, be able to move into a house with him? He would expect me to clean the house, to share my money and food, share a bed with him. He would one day expect me to _bare children for him_. And I still hadn't told him about my true heritage; about being the daughter of an ancient Greek goddess, about the monsters that would be sure to attack us, about the bronze dagger that I kept on my bedside table at night, about Percy… there was still so much he didn't know about me, and he had bared his soul to me, told me every single story there was to be told about himself, from proud to sad to shameful to funny to embarrassing.

The Reverend turned to me, and he met my eyes. I gasped slightly. His eyes… Blue. Blue as the sky on a sunny summery day. Yet, they swirled, like the beautiful blue sky could erupt into a black thunderstorm any minute… I knew this person. His hair was blond. Beyond the seriousness of his 'Reverend appearance' there was a fun- loving glint in his eyes that couldn't be mistaken.

_"Apollo," _I said under my breath.

He winked at me before repeating the same things he'd said to my fiancée.

This was it. No turning back. Joel was looking at me, excitement in his eyes. The crowd held their breath in anticipation.

There was one pair of eyes that stood out the most.

We stared at each other, and Jason nodded. He knew what I was thinking about. He smiled encouragingly at me, while holding the hand of his girlfriend: Reyna. No surprise there. Everyone had guessed that Jason would go back to Reyna after Piper was killed. The moment was drawing on. I turned back to Joel and met his eyes.

I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes, unable to look at anyone anymore. "I do," I said loudly.

Cheering erupted from the audience. I couldn't meet Joel's eyes. I vaguely heard Apollo's voice boom throughout the church: "Who has the rings?" and then Joel was slipping a diamond encrusted ring on my finger, and I had to be nudged to do the same to his.

Joel and I kissed, but I felt no emotions. We parted, and then Apollo the Reverend yelled at the top of his lungs, "Come greet the newly wedded, Mr and Mrs Ansell!" People hugged me, and patted me on the back, and a few of my closest friends even kissed me on the cheek.

There was a line up of people to greet me: a bunch of people from camp including Chiron, who hugged me and murmured a blessing in ancient Greek; Reyna and Jason, who were engaged after nearly three years of a happy relationship; my best friend Grover, who had had to come alone since his wife, Juniper the tree nymph, couldn't attend due to the fact that she was bound to the forest. Juniper had sent her well wishes, and Grover and I hugged. He understood my conflicted emotions. Thalia greeted me with a warm hug, but the dark, dangerous light in her eyes conveyed to me that she was just as harrowed by her cousins' deaths as me. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle of Camp Half- Blood hugged me at some point as well, whispered her condolences and well- wishes in my ear. That had to be a good omen, coming from the Oracle, didn't it?

Surprisingly Clarrisse and her husband, Chris Rodriguez had showed up; then there was my siblings (Malcolm burst into tears, embarrassing me in front of my new husband. "My little sister's all grown up!" he'd said. That little rat). Even Amelia Neptune de Preeze was there. She was now eleven, and I could certainly see the similarities between her and Percy more so than I could three years ago. They had the same shaped eyebrows and noses, which I suppose they had inherited from Poseidon. I had always loved Percy's eyebrows for some reason. It was so refreshing to see them again, reborn on his little sister.

And last of all came Sally and Paul Blofis. I had to fight the tears when they came into view.

"Oh, Annabeth!" Sally cried, squeezing the life out of me. I hugged back, burying my head in Sally's neck. It was quite comforting to breathe in her scent of chocolate and peaches.

Sally and I had always considered each other like mother and daughter. She was more a mother to me than my own mother, whom I hadn't seen or heard from in three years.

"Oh, Annabeth!" Sally said again, unable to say anything else. "Three years," she whispered. I looked down.

"I know," I whispered back. "I miss him."

"So do I," Sally kissed me on the cheek. "Just never forget him, okay? My baby was a great hero."

Then she let go of me, and Paul hugged me lightly and patted me on the back. "You look beautiful, Annabeth," he said. "Joel is a lucky man, as was my step son. He will treat you well."

And then Percy's parents were gone and Joel was by my side, gripping my hand as if I might run away.

* * *

"Isn't it too good to be true?" Joel whispered excitedly in my ear as we danced the Dance of Honour **(AN: is that what it's called? I've never been to a wedding so I don't know)**.

"Yeah," I laughed weakly, glad he was holding me so tightly. If he hadn't been, I might have collapsed already.

"We're married!" he rested his chin on my hair. I was too rigid to dance properly, so I kept stumbling over his feet. He must have put it down to nervous clumsiness.

The song ended, but Joel didn't let go of me. He seemed to be in pure bliss, as we continued swaying to no music. I wasn't enjoying this at all. It felt so wrong- being in this man's arms.

But he was holding tight to me.

Another song started, and other couples joined us on the dance floor. I suddenly felt very sick. My vision clouded, and my chest convulsed.

"Joel," I whispered. Either he didn't hear me, or he was ignoring me. His eyes were still closed. "Joel!" I said, louder this time. Bile was rising in my throat. "I have to_" And then suddenly my sentence was cut off as I dropped to the floor and vomited. I blacked out.

* * *

_"Perseus Jackson," one judge said emotionlessly._

_"Son of Poseidon and mortal Sally Jackson," the second judge continued._

_"Hero of Olympus," the third judge finished. All three judges glanced at each other, doing a silent assessment. _

_"Elysium," they said in unison. _

_The dark haired boy that stood at the mercy of the judges looked confused and helpless. An unseen force seemed to push him off the podium, and through a set of golden gates that read: "Elysium" in cracked gold writing._

**_SOME TIME LATER_**

_The boy stood on a beach made up of pristine white sand, a beautiful, unpolluted ocean, and tall, lustrous green palm trees._

_In other words, it was paradise._

_The boy didn't move. He stood on the beach and stared out at the ocean, his dark hair blowing in the wind. His arms were stiff and rigid by his sides. _

_I edged around so that I could see his face and I gasped. He didn't seem to see me, even though I was looking right into his eyes. Those deep, sea green eyes that held so much sadness, sorrow, wistfulness._

_The boy blinked slowly, and reached into his pants pocket with one hand. He brought it out and looked at it. Nestled in his palm was a silver ring, with a fake green rhinestone embedded on the top._

_"Annabeth…" the boy said, trailing off, still staring into the sea. "I love you…"_

* * *

"Percy!" I sat up, gasping for air, sweat trickling down my forehead. My heart was racing.

"Hey, Annabeth, it's all right, calm down," a voice soothed me. My head whipped towards the voice, and I realised it was Joel. My husband. Right. Get a grip on yourself, Annabeth. You're married now. You can't wake up screaming another guy's name.

_Even if that guy was the only guy who you'll ever true love…_

I grasped Joel's hand weakly and took in my surroundings. I was lying on a pile of clothes in the vanity room.

I could feel that all the makeup had been washed off my face, but I was still in my wedding gown. I immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," I said earnestly, glancing at Joel. "I ruined our wedding."

"No!" Joel said, squeezing my hand. "It's alright, really. We all have a right to be nervous."

"I know, but…" I trailed off when I saw his expression.

He gently slipped his arms under me and lifted me to my feet. I had to fight to stay relaxed and not go stiff. Maybe I had rushed into marriage. If I had really wanted this, wouldn't I be _longing _for him to pick me up and take me to the bedroom…

I had only felt that… _feeling _once in my life. And it hadn't been with Joel.

Once again, a longing for something just out of my reach filled me with false hopes. I remembered my dream about Percy. Had that really happened when he died? Well, I knew he'd go to Elysium. Duh. My heart ached when I recalled the way he had stared out at the ocean… whispered my name… said those three little words…

And those three little words were filling my ears right now. "…know I love you, Annabeth," Joel was saying, smiling warmly and holding my hand.

"Yeah, uh, I lo_" Thankfully, I was saved from saying it back by somebody bursting in on us.

My heart sank when I saw who it was, though.

"Oh, Annabeth," Aphrodite gushed, sounding like a love- crazy woman, which she was. However, she glared at me with fire in her eyes, as if to say: _I keep giving you second chances in love, and you keep darn well messing them up!_

"Why are you here?" I asked suspiciously.

Aphrodite faked a hurt expression. "Your aunt has a right to be worried about you when you get sick, doesn't she?"

I scoffed and shook my head, grabbing Joel's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."

We walked out of the room, and I didn't look back.

* * *

As I walked back down the aisle on my husband's arm, I looked at him and we grinned at each other. Then something caught my eye just beyond his ear. I focused on it and my heart stopped.

A head of dark messy hair, tall, tanned figure… a thousand memories engulfed me. I met those sea green eyes, and my heart restarted, feeling like a brick in my chest. _Like father like son… _the old phrase echoed in my head.

The sea god smiled kindly at me, sympathy and deep pain in his eyes. I tried for a smile back, but I'm afraid it was more like a grimace. Poseidon nodded at me, before dissipating into a fresh sea breeze.

"Anna, are you okay?" Joel asked me. He must have noticed my off expression. He turned to try and find what I had been looking at, with no luck. "Who were you looking at?"

I shook my head sadly, meeting Joel's confused eyes. "I'm fine, Joel. And, I wasn't looking at anybody. Nobody at all…"

We exited the church, and strode away to find a bench to sit on in the rose gardens. I cradled my hands in my lap.

Satisfied with my answer, Joel lowered his voice and whispered in my ear: "You're going to love our honeymoon, I can guarantee. You like the beach, right?"

And I had thought this day couldn't get any worse.

"Yeah, uh, I love the beach. At least, I used to…" I trailed off, and looked up into his eyes seriously. "Joel, there's something I have to tell you when we get… home. It's quite important, and it might change the way you look at me. I should have told you when you proposed, but I was a coward…"

Fear rose in Joel's eyes, but he visibly forced it down. "As long as you accept me for what I am, I will accept you. I'll always love you, Annabeth. You are one of a kind. I can tell that you have loved someone else, and had your heart broken, though."

I looked down, which probably gave it away.

Joel tilted my head back up with his index finger. "I know that a part of your heart will always belong to someone else. And I hope that one day you will be ready to tell me about your past.

"I also know that I will never replace that person, but I'll try to make up for it with all my heart. Do you hear me?" Joel's normally kind eyes blazed down into mine. "Do you?" he demanded. His grip became uncomfortably tight.

"I hear you, Joel," I whispered.

His expression softened considerably. "I'm sorry, Annabeth."

"Don't be." And then I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, pouring all my pent up emotions into the kiss. He seemed taken aback by my forwardness, but soon responded with fervour.

And, even on this day of my holy bonding to another man (Joel was Christian, which I'm sure would change when he heard my story) I still yearned for Percy, for his endearing, smart assed comments and handsome smile. Most of all, I wished to taste his salty lips and smell the sea breeze that never disappeared from around him.

I tried to pretend that I wasn't using Joel as a replacement. _Never replace me_, Percy's words whispered through my mind.

I love Joel. That's why I'm here, right?

Still, that voice from earlier whispered through my mind, like the hiss of a snake: _Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure about that?_

* * *

The honeymoon flew by. Joel had hired a cabin on a beach in Fiji. It was beautiful, but too close to the sea for me. I remember thinking once: _I couldn't bear the thought if Percy and I ever broke up. I'd never be able to visit the sea again, because my broken heart would ache too bad _**(AN MOA, Annabeth walking along the Battery Harbour with Hazel and Piper. Page 226).**

I think he could tell I was distracted. He didn't press me about the 'issue' I had promised to tell him about.

One night, we went out to a club and partied till about one in the morning. When we got back to the hotel room, I suppose we were probably both a bit drunk… because I woke up at about eleven in the morning with no clothes on and a pounding headache.

_Well, that settles it, _I thought, gazing out at the beautiful ocean view after I had gotten out of bed, leaving Joel snoring, thrown some clothes on, and taken an aspirin. I knew Poseidon was out there somewhere, maybe even watching me right now. Surely he would know I was here by now. After all, I had been here for about a week and a half, and I was practically right on his domain.

_I now belong to Joel. I am his and he is mine. _

As I stared out at the ocean, thinking about Joel and I, a hopeful smile lit up my face. The ocean was the colour of Percy's eyes. A sense of peace washed over me. I bowed my head and accepted his death. He was gone. I couldn't change that. But I could honour his memory by accepting his last wish of me.

"Hey, Annabeth!" a hearty voice greeted me. I turned to see Joel enter the kitchen with some hastily thrown on slacks on, but no shirt… I shivered. His chest was really nicely toned. How had I not noticed that before?

"Hi, Joel," I said shyly. He came up behind me silently, slipping his arms around my waist. I pressed back against his chest, and we both stared out into the sea.

I wasn't sure what Joel saw, but what I saw made the smile on my face grow and reach its limits.

I saw two smiling green eyes out in the depths of the waves. I saw a head of dark hair in the seaweed that washed ashore. I saw Percy Jackson. His face floated at the shore, radiant and glowing with love and adoration. He waved. I waved back. And slipped further into Joel's arms.

Percy's image dissipated. My heart ached immensely. I couldn't be sure whether the vision had been real, or just a figment of my imagination. I yearned to follow him. _Seaweed Brain… _

But I was content. Content to stay right here on shore. With Joel.

* * *

Back in America, I was packing up all my stuff, moving into Joel's apartment. For one thing, it was larger than mine, and it had a much nicer view off the balcony. I got to wake up to a second- hand car yard. Joel woke up to a nice view of Central Park.

I was sifting through an old box that I hadn't even unpacked since the last time I moved.

I was about to give up and move onto the next box because I thought it was just all old photos, but then I stumbled across something that chilled my heart to the core.

My collection of diaries from previous years.

Most of them only had a few paragraphs written in them. They were all from the years 2010, the year Percy and I defeated Kronos, 2011, the year he went missing for eight months, 2012, the year we began the voyage to Rome, and I had to follow the Mark of Athena (There was only, like, eight paragraphs in that one. Didn't really have much time to write while aboard the ship.) I must have missed 2013. Then again, that was the year that Percy and I fell to Tartarus. There wasn't any more after that. Apart from a sheet of paper with both sides filled with wobbly writing in black ink. I looked at the date and gasped when I realised it was around the time Percy died.

Right now it was 2020. So the oldest diary here was ten years old. Wow.

I began to try and decipher the wobbly black writing.

_With Percy gone, I feel like somebody has punched a hole through my chest. I'm not usually poetic, but I guess when your boyfriend goes and dies on you, you have a right to be a bit dark and melancholy._

True, that.

_Jason and I have become somewhat closer. We see eye to eye. With him being the son of Zeus and all, I always felt that he thought he was superior to me, a mere daughter of Athena, despite the age difference. But he understands what I'm going through. In fact, I might even admit he has it worse- he didn't get to say goodbye to his girlfriend. _

A pang went through my heart when I remembered beautiful Piper with her choppy dark and, and her tendency to braid it with feathers.

_It hurts a lot, when I think of everyone. Hazel. Frank. Leo. Piper. Coach Hedge. Nico. _

_I have yet to come to terms with Percy's death. I keep thinking… that maybe Hades has just played a cruel joke on me, and Percy's going to pop up in my cabin on the Argo 11 one day and say, "Just kidding!"_

_Well, I'm just kidding myself. Once you die, you don't come back. The only thing that comforts me is that he'll go to Elysium, for sure. It's the least Hades could do for him, after all he's done for the gods._

_I miss him. Miss him so much that it literally hurts. I want to just kiss him one last time, to hold him, see his smile…_

Gods, I was a bit of a romantic freak back then, wasn't I?

_I think back to that night when Jason found me with the knife pressed to my wrist. If not for him, how far would I have gone… to get back to Percy?_

I stopped reading, and studied my wrist, where I had cut myself so long ago. There was a white mark, a smooth, straight line where the Celestial bronze had sliced through my skin like butter.

_I'm scared of going back to camp. To face everyone. I can imagine it now. All that sympathy, pity, concern. I don't want any of it. I don't want to cry again. I don't want to go to his burial ceremony, to face Chiron again… I just want to get away from everything. Darn Jason and his horrible timing…_

I shuddered. What state of mind had I been in when I wrote this?

_ It's been a week since Percy's death. Jason predicted that, with the Argo 11 in as bad condition as it is, it would take about another week of flying to get back to camp. This week feels like it's lasted a year._

_I curse Aphrodite in my sleep every night. I decided I hate love. It was amazing  
while it lasted… and yes, I did- DO love Percy. I want him back. I would kill to have him back by my side. But, ultimately, love sucks. It draws you in, wins you over, makes you think that maybe, just maybe, you have a chance at a happy ending, and then knocks you flat and you get trampled. I honestly thought that I might get a chance at a happy ending with Percy. He DID have the guts to propose to me, after all. _

I absentmindedly fingered my worn camp necklace, with all the faded beads and the plastic ring Percy had left me with, and turned the sheet of paper over, where my monologue continued.

_I can imagine what it would have been like… to dress up, to put on makeup for Percy. To have him give me a real engagement ring. To have a minister announce that we are now man and wife. To kiss him and seal the bond. He would have looked handsome in a suit…_

_Annabeth Jackson. That sounds great. It warms my cold heart. It was a certain possibility. Until stupid Dirt Faced Gaia interfered._

_I have to go to dinner now. I dread eating in the dining room, where we get live visual feed of Camp Half- Blood. I don't want to see the Big House right now, or the camp eating dinner at the dining pavilion. With my luck, it might even show cabin 3._

_Jason's calling. Maybe one day, I'll find someone else. No matter what though, nobody will fill the hole that left when he left me._

_I'm hungry. All this dark stuff hurts my head._

I didn't realise, but by the time I was finished reading, tears blurred my vision.

I inhaled deeply, then wiped my steaming eyes, to no avail.

Then, oh, great, just my luck. My phone vibrated. I picked it up. "Hello?" I asked, wincing at the croak in my voice.

"Annabeth?" Joel said. His voice was concerned. "Hey, are you okay?"

I sniffed. "No. Can you come over? We need to talk."

"I'll be right over. See you soon. Love you." And with that, he hung up.

I sat on the couch and blew my nose into a tissue, and breathed deeply. Within minutes, Joel was at the doorway. He walked in and joined me on the couch.

We embraced, and he made me look at him. "Anna," he said sternly.

I sniffled.

"Tell me what's wrong," he ordered.

I held up a finger, and stood. "Can I just go to the bathroom? I need to clean up."

Joel let go of my wrist, nodding.

I came back a few minutes later, and Joel wasn't on the couch where I left him.

"Joel!" I called, looking around.

"In here!" he answered. It came from the kitchen.

I entered the kitchen to see him at the counter, looking at something.

My spine tingled as I approached him and looked over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked, and then gasped.

"I came in to make a cup of coffee, and found this," Joel said, standing up straight. He looked at me with confusion and questions in his eyes. He held up the bit of paper I had just been reading.

Realization dawned on me. "_Shit_," I muttered, snatching it out of his hands.

Joel raised an eyebrow, a troubled expression on his face. "Care to explain? Who's this Percy guy that you…"

Joel noticed my face fall at Percy's name. "Oh, gods, Annabeth," he said quietly. "Percy is…?"

I nodded, unable to speak properly.

"He proposed to you?"

I nodded, unable to speak. I pulled my camp necklace out from under my shirt, and took it off, laying it on the bench.

I pointed to the fake silver ring looped on the leather cord. "It's not real, but it's all he had at that moment…"

I waited for a few moments before composing myself, and beginning with, "Joel, we need to talk. I've been putting it off, but… it's vital to our relationship. We want a relationship based on trust and honesty, not lies and deceit." I took a deep breath. I knew I was rambling.

Joel was obviously puzzled. I held up a hand in a placating gesture.

"Just, please, don't ask any questions until I'm finished, okay? And no doubt you will have questions. Okay, um…"

I sat down at a bench stool, and gestured for him to sit as well. "Joel, please keep an open mind about this, okay? You will find much of what I say to sound like… well, one huge lie, considering you're Christian and all," I mumbled. Get a hold of yourself, girl! You're just confusing him!

I started with the basics- about running away at age seven, and hanging out with Luke and Thalia. I got into the complicated stuff when Joel interrupted to ask why we were three young kids on the run. _Running from what? _He had asked.

"This is where it gets complicated," I said. "Do you know about the Ancient Greek myths? About the gods and monsters and Titans, and stuff?"

Joel nodded, obviously wondering how this fitted in with my story of three kids on the run.

"I am the daughter of one of those Greek gods. Goddess, actually. I am a daughter of Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, fine arts and war."

Joel's expression turned incredulous. "No- no way," he stuttered. "There is no gods- there is only one true God_"

"I know this is hard to take in," I said gently, praying to all the gods I knew for patience. "But remember what I said about keeping an open mind. Luke was the son of Hermes, Greek god of merchants, thieves and travellers. Thalia is the daughter of Zeus, the Greek god of the sky, king of the gods." I didn't bother mentioning the fact that she can summon lightning, and that she's an immortal lieutenant to the goddess Artemis.

"Hold on," Joel said. "You said _was _for Luke, and _is _for Thalia. How does that work?"

I sighed. "Luke died ten years ago in a war against the evil titan Kronos. It's kind of hard to explain, but… I'll just say that Luke betrayed all his friends and turned to the dark side, but in the end he… sacrificed himself and saved us all."

Joel looked stumped. "Kronos. Evil titan. And you say you defeated him? How?"

I bit my lip. "Percy fought him. Sword against scythe. Percy kept Kronos at bay while I spoke to Luke."

"You speak like they are one person."

"They were. As I said, hard to explain if you weren't there."

"So, if this mythical world is real… they really had swords?"

I nodded. "I'll show you."

Joel blinked. "You have a sword?"

"I prefer the dagger, if I do say so myself. Stay here." I jogged to my bedroom and brought my dagger back, and held it out to Joel.

He studied it in amazement.

"Celestial Bronze. It can't harm mortals."

"Mortals?"

"Normal people. People with no trace of godly DNA. Like you."

Joel put the dagger down and glanced at me. "Was Percy a- did he have a godly parent?"

"The correct term is demigod, or half- blood. Yes, Percy was a son of Poseidon. God of the sea."

"Could he control water? Make cyclones, and huge thunderstorms and stuff?"

I laughed quietly. "He was the most powerful demigod ever at Camp Half- Blood, and he could control water, even make a mini storm around himself, but, no, he didn't make cyclones or anything like that."

"What's Camp Half- Blood?"

"Oh, it's a summer camp I go to. A safe haven for demigods to stay, where we train and so on."

"Train?" Joel asked, shooting me a cautious look.

"Well, you can't own a sharp weapon and not know how to use it. Percy was the second best swordsman in a century," I said proudly.

Joel nodded, looking a little miffed. He stood and started sifting through the box of photos. He eventually brought out a fat album named _Memories. _

I winced. That was the album with all the best photos of me and my friends. And my boyfriend.

Joel sat down and silently started flicking through the pages. I leaned over and looked at all the photos.

There was a photo of Thalia, Luke and me when we were on the run. It was one of those photo strips that you get from a photo booth. We were all making funny faces.

"How much older than you was Luke?" he frowned.

"About seven years," I replied nonchalantly.

"And Thalia?"

"Five years, but she was a tree for a while and now she's immortal."

"_What?!_"

"I'd say she's about fifteen. And a lot of teenagers get offered immortality. In fact, after the Titan War, Percy was offered godhood by Zeus himself. But he declined. For me."

I think Joel was beyond words by this point. He shook his head in awe, and kept flicking through. There were pictures of me and Grover, me and Luke, the camp, Half Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree.

Finally, we got to the _2006 _section, with the earliest photos of Percy and me. The first photo I ever got of him and me together was the Fourth of July fireworks that we went to together. And it wasn't a date, that one. Grover was there, and there were no romantic feelings at all. I explained this to Joel, and told him that at first I had hated Percy, because he was such a Seaweed Brain, but it had eventually become endearing.

The next photo of Percy and I was after we came back from rescuing Grover from the Sea of Monsters, and we had won the chariot race together, with Tyson's help. Joel was eager to hear all about my various quests, however, his face soon fell when he heard that they were all with Percy. He got a disappointed glint in his eye when I told him about the time Luke kidnapped me and held me under the sky, and Percy defied all of the camp's rules to come and rescue me.

We flipped through the years, and I talked for hours until my voice got hoarse. There was a story for every photo.

In the section _2009_, for some reason I had a photo of Rachel and Percy, and Percy had his arm around Rachel's waist and they were both laughing.

Joel asked about that.

"Percy and Rachel were, um, well, I guess you could say that they might have been something if Rachel hadn't become the Oracle of Delphi."

"Oracle of Dolphin?" Joel asked, confused.

"No, _Delphi_. Let's just say that she reads the future, like a seer. And there is no glass orb, so don't even ask about that."

Joel laughed and kept flicking through the photos. Eventually we got to the year _2010. _The year Percy and I kissed.

There was that photo of the whole war council that I had found in Percy's cabin on the _Argo 11_ a couple of years ago, with Percy looking like an idiot. Joel was becoming more lenient as he got an idea of Percy's personality. We had a good laugh at some hilarious faces my friends pulled.

Joel became quieter when we got to the section where Percy and I started getting more 'closer' in our photos together.

There was another strip of photos from a photo booth of me and Percy. There was five different photos, in a wacky arrangement on the glossy paper. One showed us both poking our tongues out and crossing our eyes. The next was of me kissing his cheek while he poked me in the nose. The third was of us smiling _nicely _with our arms around each other. The fourth was of me on Percy's back, my legs wrapped around him, silly smiles of our faces. And the fifth…

"Oh," Joel said softly, looking at me. I didn't look at Joel- I stared out my window into the now- dark sky, all this memorabilia crowding my mind.

The fifth was of me and Percy kissing. His hands rested on my hips, and my arms were around his neck, my fingers knotted in his hair. We were both smiling into the kiss.

Joel quickly put that album away. He moved onto the next album. It was labelled, _2013- 2014_.

"There'll be nothing in that one," I said, nodding towards it.

But it was already open. And there was a photo taped there, and a message.

The photo was of the Seven of the second Great Prophecy. Leo, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Percy and me. We stood in front of the _Argo 11 _with our arms around each other. I don't even remember it being taken.

I gasped when I read the message. Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes. "Percy…" I whispered. Joel must have read the message, because he leaned over and put his arm around me, planting a kiss on the back of my neck under my hair. I didn't feel a thing.

The message read:

_Annabeth, when you get this, I hope that it's been a long time since my death. That you've found someone else. I just want to say that I'm sorry I had to leave you. I hope we never meet again, because you'll probably kill me again. You're probably wondering how this got here, hopefully under the photo of all of us in front of the Argo 11. Well, you remember how Aphrodite was always going on about how our relationship was equal to Helen and Paris's affair that started the Trojan War? She was happy to send this, because she knows you'll go into an emotional debate with yourself. I know it as well. Wipe those tears from your eyes, and put a smile there, because your husband doesn't deserve to have a wife who will forever mope for her last boyfriend._

I smiled through my tears, and Joel wiped them away. I was glad he didn't ask any questions.

_I also want to say that I love you, and will forever. I can't wait until the day we meet in Elysium. But I'm true to my wish. I want you to live a long, happy life. If I had it my way, you'd live forever. So that your beautiful smile will never fade. I'm just rambling now, aren't I? Anyway, hope all's well for you. Say hi to my mum for me. _

_I love you so much, Wise Girl. Shame that I only told you once, because I actually was secretly in love with you for years. _

My heart thudded painfully at that. Why didn't he ask me out, then?

_I guess I was too scared to admit my feelings. I was scared that you would reject me, if I was too forward. But look at us now. _

_It kills me to have to close this letter. Who knew I'd be the kind of guy to write love letters? Aphrodite must be rubbing off on me._

_Yours forever,_

_Seaweed Brain xxxooo_

I was sobbing in Joel's arms by the end of it.

"I'm sorry!" I cried, burying my head in his chest. "I should have told you before we got married," I blubbered. "I just, just loved him so much, and it's my fault that he died!"

"Just cry, baby," my husband whispered. "Let it all out."

And so I did.

I felt better by the end of it.

Joel stroked my back and held me the whole time.

* * *

Yet another year went by, and Joel seemed to accept that I would never really get over Percy. He learned about all the myths, even practised a bit with my dagger. He met Chiron, and they got along great.

One day, Joel posed a question to me. The question I had been dreading.

"Anna," he said.

"Yah," I answered, while bopping to Lose Yourself, by Eminem on MTV and making a ham and cheese sandwich. Joel was sipping a cup of coffee, and watching me.

"What do you think about children?"

I glanced up, pausing in my action of placing the cheese on the buttered bread.

"Um, that depends. I'm not particularly fond of babies, but I don't mind teenagers. They're fun to argue with."

Joel grinned. "Typical Annabeth. Nah, I'm serious. Do you think we're ready for children?"

I dropped my butter knife and gripped the counter. "As in, like, _babies_?"

Joel bobbed his head. "That was the point."

My mouth opened and closed like a fish. I hadn't a clue of what to say.

"It's okay if you don't answer now. But I'd like an answer soon. We're twenty seven, Annabeth. Not going to be young forever. I'm fine with whatever decision you make, and I'll respect you with whatever your choice, and support you. But, if you want children, well," he glanced at me slyly. "Now's the time to take action."

I was still unable to do anything but gape at him, before I managed to squeak out, "I'll think- about it."

Joel nodded and went back to his coffee, but that question plagued me for weeks. _Did _I want children?

* * *

**_A FEW WEEKS LATER_**

One morning, I was jolted out of my pleasant dreams of Percy and me by the urge to be sick.

I jumped out of bed, leaving Joel still snoring, and rushed to the bathroom, throwing open the toilet seat just in time for the sticky yellow bile to come up. I spat, and washed my mouth out at the sink.

_Random, _I thought, then went back to bed.

* * *

**_AT BREAKFAST_**

"Joel," I said.

"Yeah?" he looked at me curiously.

My mind was working over time, adding all the little things together, until I got the big picture. My heart stopped for a second. "Can you take me to the GP today?"

My husband put down his newspaper and looked at me with concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay, Anna?"

I concentrated on washing my plate from breakfast under the running water. Concentrated on trying not to break it with my extremely tight grip that was probably not good for the innocent plate's health. "That depends on the doctor's answer."

Joel frowned at me worriedly, then slipped his reading glasses over his nose again, and resumed reading his paper.

* * *

**_AT THE GP_**

"Is that so?" Doctor Karris asked, as she leaned over me, inspecting my belly.

"I'm pretty sure," I said. "I just want a check up."

"That can be easily done," Doctor Karris smiled tiredly at me. "Can you just lie down on the bed over there, for me Mrs Ansell?"

I nodded, and did as she requested.

"Now lift up your shirt for me. Brace yourself, this is going to be cold," she warned.

I nodded again, and winced as she spread the cold gel on my bare stomach which was flat now, but for how much longer?

Doctor Karris started massaging my stomach with the ultrasound stick, and before long, a multicoloured image appeared on the digital screen above our heads.

"There it is," the doctor nodded to the thermal image. "Would you like me to send your husband in, Mrs Ansell?"

I nodded for the third time, utterly speechless. I couldn't decide whether I was excited or terrified.

"Hey, you," Joel smiled as he came and squatted by my side. The door closed softly, as Doctor Karris left us a moment of privacy. I barely acknowledged him, too busy staring at the thermal image that was telling me what couldn't be true.

"How is everything? Alright?"

I shook my head, still unable to speak. "Annabeth? Are you okay?"

"Joel," I whispered, not looking at him. "Do you know what that is, up there?" I waved my hand at the screen.

Joel squinted at it, then shook his head 'no'.

I sighed, and grasped his hand.

"That, up there," I said, "Is an image of an unborn child."

Joel stared at me. Either he was a great actor, or was actually out of the loop. "Please explain," he said.

"Well, you got your answer," I said. "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant." Joel was staring at me.

"Yes, Joel. I am pregnant. We are going to have a child."

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**Oh my god. Annabeth pregnant? And NOT to Percy? Oh, it hurts my heart to write this…**

**But don't worry, one more chapter, and we get to see the inspiration of this story! **

**Just so you know, I don't own the wedding vows. I took them out of Virginia Andrews' book: Fallen Hearts, third book in the Heaven series. Awesome series, by the way.**

**I won't update till I get 20 reviews, okay?**

**Thanks for reading,**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


	5. Part Four- I Bring Bad Tidings

**Hey everyone. Who's ready for epicness?**

**Be warned: there is a lot of skipping around. I cannot be held responsible for any migraines readers may behold while reading.**

**Title: Part Five- I Bring Bad Tidings  
Main Character: Annabeth Chase  
Status: A year after the previous chapter**

**Read on and enjoy the chapter! Maybe some of you will warm up to Joel after this. He's not a bad person just because he loves Annabeth! I would to, if I weren't a girl myself.**

**I DON'T OWN WHO KNEW BY P!NK, OKAY!**

**Joel's POV**

_Time flies, whether you're having fun or not, _was my only thought as Annabeth and I stared down at the two year old boy sleeping peacefully in his crib. Luke James Ansell. My first born, no, _our _first born son. I couldn't believe that Annabeth and I had already been married for three and a half years. I could still remember the day we met like it had happened yesterday.

When I first saw her, I was like, _wow. _She was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her honey blond hair seemed to shine in the dim light. Her grey eyes sparkled with love as she smiled down at our son.

Annabeth had insisted on naming the boy Luke. I recalled a Luke in her past. That day she had told me about her true heritage… she revealed secrets to me that I would never have imagined upon laying eyes on her. That she'd run away from home at seven years old. That she'd adventured with two kids called Thalia and Luke (I swear she had feelings for that guy, no matter how much she denies it). The hardest thing to wrap my head around, however, was that this beautiful woman, my wife, Annabeth Chase Ansell, was a daughter of the five- thousand- year- old Greek goddess of wisdom, fine arts and war- Athena.

Considering I used to be a hard- core believer in the Christian religion, I suppose that's what made this whole concept even _more _impossible for me to have faith in.

So, Annabeth wanted to name our son Luke, after her old friend who died about thirteen years ago. Where did we get James? My younger brother, who had been hit by a car about seven months before Annabeth and I got married. It wasn't the accident that had killed him, though- he had had a severe case of acute lymphocytic leukaemia. The wounds he had received from the car accident had only sped him along on his journey towards imminent death.

I must have gripped Annabeth's hand harder than was meant for comfort. She yelped, and ripped her hand out of mine, shaking it.

"Sorry, sorry!" I took her hand in mine again and brought it to my lips, lightly kissing it, and massaging her fingers. She laughed softly, silently forgiving me, and rested her head on my shoulder. The small gesture made warmth bubble up inside me.

It had taken a while for Annabeth to warm up to our marriage- she used to cringe whenever I would kiss her neck, or wrap my arms around her. I knew why- she still loved another man by the name of Percy Jackson, who had died in a war when they were nineteen. Annabeth hadn't shared many details with me- I had actually figured out most of the story myself, putting together little things she had let slip over the years.

I knew that she still cared a great deal for him, and I didn't hold it against her. She was entitled to love who she wanted. Perhaps I was only a replacement for Percy Jackson. But I loved her more than I'd ever loved anyone, and I knew that she loved me too, even if only just a little bit, that love was there, ready to be watered and nurtured, ready to mature and grow into something that went beyond desire and need- more like a sense of trust, of happiness and faith in me. She loved me- even if she wasn't in love with me.

Luke stirred in his sleep, letting loose a small cry of indignation when he couldn't find his Blanky right next to his head, ripping me from all my philosophical thoughts.

Annabeth pulled out of my embrace, kneeling next to him and brushing his fine blond hair out of his hazel/ greyish eyes. I reached into the crib and picked up his Blanky- a red, blue and yellow blanket that had been a maternity gift to Annabeth from one of her friends- Racquel or something. No, Rachel. That's it. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle of Delphi- and deposited it into his small, pudgy hands. He gripped it tight, muttered something under his breath, then focused on his mother.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare- that name still lingered in my mind. The creepy redhead who told prophecies and billowed green smoke. I had met her once (Annabeth had dragged me to her place for lunch), and Rachel hadn't seemed so bad, until I had asked where the bathroom was, and she doubled over, then spoke a prophecy about a bunch of portable dunnies being transferred to Zimbabwe or something. I'd tried not to run out the door as fast as I could when it was time to leave.

"Hey, baby," Annabeth crooned. Luke opened his eyes and put his thumb in his mouth. His chubby little legs stretched, then curled underneath him again.

"Hi mummy." Luke yawned. My biggest fear about having children was that one of them would be diagnosed with leukaemia- it was quite common on my side of the family. Luke had been tested a couple of days after he was born, and he had gotten the _all clear! _from the doctors. But so had James. Was it a bad omen that Luke had been named after my brother, who had died of leukaemia?

All this philosophy was hurting my head. I squatted on the other side of Luke's crib, and kissed his forehead. "Night, buddy," I whispered, stroking his cheek lovingly.

"G'night daddy," Luke murmured before sinking back into a peaceful snooze.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face at that. _Daddy_. It had been two years, but it was still a mind- blowing concept.

I was a dad. Annabeth was a mum. And this beautiful child, Luke James Ansell, was a result of our love for each other.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

_"You took my hand, you showed me how.  
You promised me, you'd be around,  
Uh huh, that's right._

_"I took your words, and I believed,  
In everything, you said to me,  
Yeah huh,  
That's right."_

For the fifth night in a row, that song plagued my dreams.

_"If someone said three years from now,  
You'd be long gone,  
I'd stand up and punch them out,  
Cause they're all wrong,  
I know better,  
Cause you said forever,  
And ever,  
Who knew?"_

It was scary how closely related that song could be to me. Because, if somebody had told me that Percy would die in the end, I _would_ most likely punch them, all the while thinking_ Are you out of your mind? Percy Jackson, the Hero of Olympus, doesn't just _die.

_"Remember when we were such fools,  
And so convinced and just too cool,  
Oh no,  
No no,  
I wish I could touch you again,  
I wish I could still call you a friend,  
I'd give anything,"_

And I really would. This life with Joel, with my son- Luke- I just… it felt like a dream. I felt like I was an eidolon possessing Annabeth Chase's body. I was living her life, but I wasn't _her_.

But would I, _could _I, really give up my son, my husband to get Percy back?

_"When someone said count your blessings now,  
'Fore they're long gone,  
I guess I just didn't know how,  
I was all wrong,  
They knew better,  
Still you said forever,  
And ever,  
Who knew?_

_"Yeah, yeah,  
I'll keep you locked in my head,  
Until we meet again,  
Until we,  
Until we meet again,  
And I won't forget you, my friend,  
What happened?"_

And we _would _meet again. When I died, I would go to Elysium, where Percy would be waiting for me. I was sure of it. My whole life would be like those eight months he had been missing when we were sixteen. When we met in the Underworld, our reunion would be much like the previous one. Could it be a coincidence how history had repeated itself, only on a much larger scale?

_"If someone said three years from now,  
You'd be long gone,  
I'd stand up and punch them out,  
'Cause they're all wrong and,  
The last kiss,  
I'll cherish,  
Until we meet again,  
And time makes, it harder,  
I wish I could remember,  
But I keep, your memory,  
You visit me in my sleep,  
My darling, who knew,  
My darling, my darling,  
Who knew,  
My darling, I miss you,  
My darling, who knew,  
Who knew?"_

I jolted awake, tears streaming down my face. I was gasping for breath, hands cradling my head. Percy's image was engraved in my mind, burned there.

I glanced at Joel, and almost as if he could sense my gaze, he opened his eyes, and his face fell, softened in concern. He sat and up and held me gently, stroking my back, me small and trembling.

"Oh, Anna. Not again?" It wasn't really a question. He already knew the answer, even as I nodded dumbly.

For over a year and a half, these dreams had haunted my sleep, trying to tell me something.

I cried into Joel's bare chest. "Why, Joel?" I rasped. "He won't leave me alone. He's trying to tell me something, I know it!"

Joel looked into my eyes. "Annabeth, stop being irrational. He's dead. He can't have any possible way to—"

"No!" I blubbered. "Shut up! You have no idea…" I sobbed, pushing him away. I knew I was letting my emotions getting the better of me, but I couldn't stop it. "You don't know the extent of their powers! It's probably a plot of Aphrodite's, or Hera's. I know they both enjoy making my life difficult."

Joel looked at me, narrowing his eyes. "The love goddess and the marriage goddess," he said slowly.

"Oh, wow, you're finally learning!" I said sarcastically, clapping my hands.

"Oh, cut it, Annabeth!" Joel hissed. "I'm sick of all this ridiculousness."

I threw the duvet off my legs, and stood up, angry tears trailing down my cheeks.

"Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to deal with it! I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're only a mere _mortal_, after all!"

And with that, I stormed out of the bedroom, my pillow under my arm. I didn't look back once.

* * *

**Joel's POV**

As I lay in the big bed, too big for one person, really, I fumed silently. I could understand, to an extent, that Annabeth had had some pretty hard times in her life. But that didn't excuse her behaviour towards me. I mean, I couldn't help it if I wasn't born with godly DNA!

But slowly, reason returned to me. I had called her whole life _ridiculousness. _Of course she had a right to be mad at me. And I felt terrible. I was scared that she would want to leave me, to leave Luke, leave us both because neither of us was _Percy_.

The more I thought about it, fear crept up inside of me. I had an image in my mind of waking up in the morning to find a note scrawled in Annabeth's handwriting saying _Bye. Nice knowing you, but you're not for me. Apparently, my heritage is a joke to you mortals. _

I finally willed myself to get up, and go find her and make up. I hated fighting with her. She could always make me second- guess myself, doubt my own reasons and motives. I knew she was a daughter of Athena- which meant that she was supposed to be smart, but sometimes she abuses her smarts, plays with other people's minds, makes you feel inferior to her because you can't outwit her. She's incredibly smart- but sometimes I wonder whether she has any wisdom.

I approached the living room to find my wife sprawled on the couch, her blond curly hair tangled and splayed around her angelic face. Her eyelids fluttered, as if she knew that I was here, watching her.

"Annabeth," I whispered, kneeling by the couch and taking her hand in mine.

Her eyes opened, and for a moment, they resembled a young child's- innocent, naïve, frightened. But then they slowly morphed back into the scary, intimidating, stormy grey glare that I was used to.

She rolled over, so that she was facing the back of the couch. "Go away," I heard her mumble.

"No," I said firmly, surprising myself. "No, I won't go away. I want to apologise."

Annabeth rolled over again, so that our faces were centimetres apart. "Go ahead," she whispered.

I cleared my throat and pulled back. "Uh, well, I'm sorry. For saying that it's all ridiculousness. But, you have to understand that, for my whole life pretty much, it's been drummed into me that Christianity is the only way to go. Once upon a time, people were burned at the stake for going against God."

"It's not that they were going against God," Annabeth said in a low voice. "They just couldn't pay for entry to the churches, therefore the priests accused them of withholding the Lord's payment—"

I laughed, playfully covering my ears. "And she's at it again."

Annabeth glared at me in mock- hurt. "I just paid attention in my Chapel lesson at my old high school."

I leaned over and pressed my lips to her cheek, wrapping my arms around her. "Am I forgiven?" I murmured against her skin.

She kissed my forehead. "I can't stay mad at you for a long time. It's too much work."

"Come back to bed?" I asked, pleading with my eyes.

She chuckled and said, "Carry me?"

I let a grin spread across my face. "Gladly, m' lady."

Just as I bent down to swoop her up into my arms, Luke started crying from his room.

We both sighed and stood up. Annabeth stumbled in the darkness, and I wrapped my arm around her waist.

"Love you," I mumbled, squeezing her waist.

"Love you too," she said back, and I smiled at the fact that she didn't hesitate.

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

**_SIX MONTHS LATER_**

"Luke, hon, eat your mashed banana." I chided when my three year old son frowned at his breakfast. But I have to admit, if I saw that meal as a young child, I probably would have acted in the same way. Of course, it was more frustrating now that _I _was the mother.

"But mummy," Luke whined. "I have teeth now!" he smiled at me, his lips stained red with strawberry juice (I had a 100% discount on any product that contained strawberries. Courtesy of Chiron). With his red lips and small, pointy little white teeth, Luke reminded me of a baby vampire. "I can eat big person food now!"

"Doesn't matter. You eat your banana, otherwise you'll never become a big boy! One day you'll be as tall as daddy, but only if you eat your mashed banana. One day it won't even have to be mashed!" I tried for an encouraging smile, nodding towards the very unappetizing looking yellow mush in Luke's bowl.

"It tastes yukky," he pouted, throwing his spoon down. It hit the floor. I sighed and picked his spoon up for him, chucking it in the sink and getting a brand new one out.

"Luke," I scolded, my voice stern. "Don't be a bad boy, okay? Mummy doesn't like bad little boys. Mummy likes good little boys who are obedient, smart and who eat their mashed banana."

Luke looked up at me, his hazel eyes shining with adoration. For _me_. "You like me, mummy!" he said cheerfully. "I'm smart! I'll eat my bananana."

I laughed. Luke liked stretching the word banana. Well, _anything _that ended with 'nana', really.

"If you're good, and you eat your banana, we might go and visit your nanna!" I brought a chair over to his high chair and picked up a spoonful of banana, bringing it slowly to his mouth, making airplane noises.

Normally Joel did the airplane noises while I fed Luke, but Joel was back to work this week, therefore leaving me the job of imitating an airplane as I fed banana to my son.

"I like my nananana!" Luke grinned, showing me an even more mashed up mouthful of banana. I resisted the urge to retch and grimace in disgust.

"Nanna likes you too. In fact, she likes you almost as much as _I _do!" I said as I wiped drool off my son's chin.

"I love my nananana!" Luke cried dramatically through a mouthful of food, spitting chunks of yellow stuff on me while waving his chubby little hands around in the air.

I laughed despite myself, wiping the spit off my arm where it had hit. "I know you do, honey."

Luke swallowed his meal.

Absentmindedly, I started to stroke Luke's soft, fine bond hair, lost in thought about Luke's nanna. _Who isn't really his actual nanna, _I reminded myself. _His real grandmother doesn't care one whit about him, probably._

Luke pushed my hand off his hair, scrunching his face up adorably. "Mummy!" he complained.

"Lukey!" I smiled and pushed back from the table. "I'm going for a shower, okay? When I come back, I expect that bowl of banana to be gone. If not, we're not visiting nana!"

Luke's eyes widened, and he started shovelling food in so fast that half of it fell out. Onto his shirt. Lucky he was wearing a bib.

I shook my head in disgust at his boyish antics and went for a shower.

* * *

"Nananana!" Luke cried when I opened the door to the apartment that was sort of like my home away from home.

"Oh, Luke, how you've _grown_!" Sally Jackson cried, striding forward to take my son out of my arms.

I stepped forward and hugged Paul, and he patted me on the back. "How's life so far?" he murmured. I knew he didn't mean how was home- he meant had the dreams of Percy faded yet.

I shook my head sadly, watching Percy's mother cuddling and cooing to my son, who was enjoying being smothered with grandmotherly love.

"It hurts, Paul," I whispered, hugging myself. "I just have this feeling… that he's trying to tell me something. Joel thinks I'm off my rocker. But… I just don't know…"

For some reason, I had confided to Percy's step father before I had told Sally, or even my husband (though of course Joel knew now, after I'd woken up screaming for the fifth time in a row). There was just something about Paul… a fatherly aura that made me like and trust him as much as I had once to my father. He reminded me of Chiron.

"The best you can do is follow your gut," Paul continued. "Usually, you'll find that your hunch is the best way to go. Your heart will lead you to your greatest desire, but your greatest desire isn't always the wisest option." His gaze travelled down to the thin scar on my wrist, evidence of a time when my heart had been ruling my life, and my greatest desire was to be with Percy… "Being a daughter of Athena," Paul was saying, "I'm sure you can respect that desire is not always wisdom."

I nodded, and then we both noticed Sally staring at us uncomprehendingly. "Did I miss something?" she asked blankly, holding Luke on her hip. My son rested his head contentedly on this woman's bosom- this woman who should resent this little boy, for being the son of a man who was not her son. I felt a sudden craving for fresh air. In here, in this stuffy unit, the air was stifling and hot.

"Hey, why don't we go to the park? Get some ice cream?" I said abruptly, ignoring her question.

Luke's head popped up at the words 'ice cream'. He had his thumb in his mouth.

"I think that's a great idea!" Sally said warmly. She handed Luke to me while she went to get her handbag. When she came back, I noticed for the first time that she was limping. Her hands shook when she placed her wide- brimmed hat on her head.

It was then that it struck me- Sally was aging. You couldn't see it in her physical appearance- she was still fairly attractive for an older woman. But she would be in her late forties by now. And she had no children to look after her in later years. It was up to me to be the child she didn't have. I'd have to get her will sorted, her superannuation, her retirement plans solidified.

Luke pulled me from my brooding thoughts of Sally's inevitable dealing with Thanotos (otherwise known as Death) by Luke giggling when Paul chucked him under the chin and Sally once again scooped him up, swinging him around before placing him back on her hip.

I forced a smile before swinging my backpack over my shoulder (that was filled with stuff like a Celestial Bronze dagger, nectar, ambrosia, baby wipes, extra nappies and a spare set of underwear. You know, your ordinary demigod mother's survival kit) and leading the way out the door.

* * *

At the park, Paul, Luke and I engaged in a game of soccer. Paul and I had to run extra slow so that Luke didn't complain that we were cheating because we were bigger than him.

Paul kicked the ball in slow motion, waiting for Luke to catch up with the adults. The ball rolled to a stop at Luke's tiny feet, and he kicked it so hard that he fell over, as his foot had completely missed the ball anyway. Paul, Sally and I laughed so hard that we were crying.

After our game of soccer, we made our way to The North Icy Pole **(A/N: made up place, don't go searching it on Google Images). **

Luke stood in front of the display case, staring with wonder at all the colours and flavours. A line started to build up behind us. I smiled apologetically to the counter staff before saying to my son, "Luke, hurry up and choose. Those people want to order as well."

I gestured for the couple behind us to move forward in our place while Luke debated over the Whipped Milk Chocolate, or the Cookies 'N' Cream, or the Choco Peppermint. I myself got a Rum and Raisin, and Sally and Paul bought a small tub of Honeycomb and Cinnamon to share with each other.

I eventually just told Luke to close his eyes, and I would order for him myself.

"A small cone of chocolate, please," I said to the girl who was serving us. She nodded, and got to work scooping the ice cream into the cone.

After we'd gotten our ice creams, we sat on a bench at the park and started licking. It was silent except for Luke's slurping and giggles of pleasure at the exquisite flavour.

I smiled to see him enjoying one of life's few pleasures- chocolate ice cream on a sweltering day.

All too soon, the day was over, and we were saying our farewells to Sally and Paul, on our way home.

* * *

When Luke was three and three quarters, Joel and I took him to meet Chiron. Luke had now matured far beyond his years. In fact, the other day, I had been reading some _Homer_, and Luke had come up from behind me, then asked, "Mummy, why are you reading about… Medusa and Minerva?"

I had whipped around stunned. "Luke," I had said, cautiously. "How did you know that?"

"Because," he stated. "I'm not stupid, mummy. I can read. And that clearly says something about a Minerva and a Medusa. What's a Minerva?"

And then my thoughts had been ticking so fast that I couldn't concentrate on his question. Had Luke just read Ancient Greek without knowing it? Or was there a bit of English on the page?

I had quickly scanned the aging paper, but all I saw were Greek symbols and lines and swirls that should only look like a page of gibberish to a three year old.

So that's why I was taking Luke to Chiron. He was almost four, growing up so fast. If he could already read Greek, and was maturing so quickly, how long would it take him to realise who he really was?

Joel and I had talked about it, and he agreed with me- it was too dangerous to leave it any longer. Chiron needed to know.

So, here I was now, waiting in the Big House foyer, Luke running around, inspecting every single little detail, like the faint odour of grapes that hung in the air, that the dead leopard head on the wall was actually alive ("That's Seymour, Luke. Say hello," I had said to him, and Luke had looked at me like I was crazy). He also noticed that the ping pong table in the rec room was extremely dusty, like it hadn't been used in a long time. I suppose, it was probably a bad reminder of the war, and all those stressful war councils that we had held there.

Just then, Chiron trotted into the room, and held out his arms. I ran forward and embraced him, smiling.

"Annabeth, my dear girl," he greeted me. "And, who is this handsome young man?" Chiron asked as Luke approached the centaur cautiously, like Chiron might turn into a rabid, fire- breathing donkey (no offense to you, Chiron. Of course you're 100% pure horse).

I smiled fondly at my son and said, "Chiron, this is my son. Luke James."

Chiron appraised Luke, then looked back to me. "Where's your husband?" he asked.

I sighed, settling down in an armchair, beckoning for Luke to come and sit on my lap. "I didn't want to grant him permission in case, you know, he pulls a Rachel and sneaks into camp against my will. He's sneaky like that. He could be a son of Hermes in that aspect."

Luke jumped off my lap again, and, as if he'd just noticed, he inspected Chiron's lower body, looked up really innocently and said, "Are you a unicorn?"

Chiron smiled down at my son and ruffled his fair hair. "No, dear boy. I am not a unicorn. If you had not noticed, I have no horns at all."

Luke nodded slowly, then looked at my mentor and asked in a serious tone of voice, "Are you a Minerva, then?"

Chiron glanced at me, as if to say _Help!_ and I laughed. "Luke, Minerva is an ancient goddess. She was originally a Greek goddess, named Athena, but when the Romans conquered Greece, they adopted the Greek gods and goddesses, so Athena became Minerva. I hope you never have to meet Minerva, though. She is mean and spiteful and vengeful. She will manipulate you by using your greatest weakness against you." Now, I was speaking bitterly, hurtful memories of my encounters with Minerva surfacing in my mind.

I half expected Luke to cock his head to the side and squawk _What? _But he was a descendant of Athena. Of course he knew what I was talking about. He read a sentence in Ancient Greek without even knowing it!

I'd grown accustomed to Percy's ignorance over the years. You'd think that by now, almost nine years after his death, I would have grown out of habits that he got me into, but you can't love someone with all your heart, and then forget them that easily.

Just then, the front door of the Big House was thrown open, and a large, strong- featured woman entered the room, her knife casually strapped to her belt while she handled a small pale- haired girl.

"Clarrisse!" I said in surprise.

She smirked at me. "Been a while, eh?"

We embraced quickly and awkwardly, because of the little girl that was clinging to my friend's neck for dear life.

"New addition to the family?" I asked sweetly.

She swatted me on the arm, a light blush staining her cheeks. "I see you've been busy as well," Clarrisse nodded towards Luke, who had come to inspect the new person in the room.

"Hi!" the little blond boy yelled merrily, bouncing from foot to foot. I was starting to think that Luke had inherited the rock- solid demigod trait: ADHD. And, obviously, his brain was naturally attuned to Ancient Greek. I hadn't figured out whether he was dyslexic, or he just needed glasses. I suppose, if he had ADHD (which was very likely) then I would veer more towards the former suggestion.

"Hey, buddy. Ooh, watch it!" Luke had leaned forward to get a closer look at the girl on Clarrisse's hip, and he had pricked himself on her knife.

Luke bit his lip, and showed the small cut to me. A bubble of blood blossomed from the tip of his index finger. I wiped it away and patted Luke on the head. "You'll be right, Luke."

"Luke?" Clarrisse glanced warily at me. "His name is Luke." This time it was a statement.

I nodded. "I wanted his name to mean something, and I don't think my husband would have appreciated it if I'd named him Percy. It would have been weird, anyway, calling my son Percy."

Clarrisse frowned at me, like she thought I was a little crazy. Then she turned to Chiron, who'd been silent throughout our exchange.

"Hi, Chiron." Clarrisse gave Chiron a one- armed hug. "I want you to meet my daughter," Clarrisse swung the little girl off her hip. "Silena Mars Rodriguez."

I raised my eyebrow at Clarrisse at the name _Silena_. She shrugged.

The girl had white- blond hair that reached her shoulders in dead- straight strands. Her hair was very fine, and her fringe hung over her forehead. Her eyes were a muddy hazel/ amber colour which made for an interesting combination. She was quite small and dainty for a descendant of Ares, her skin pale, almost translucent. I had no doubt that over the years, her delicate appearance would fool many people into thinking that they could take advantage of her and then, before they knew it, _whop! _and they would be on the ground with their arms all twisted up behind their backs.

"She's adorable," I said, because it seemed the only thing you _could _say.

Clarrisse laughed, hefting Silena off her hip and onto the floor. "Don't let that fool you, Annabeth. She can be a vicious little thing when she wants to be. She's already mastered the strangle hold," Clarrisse said proudly.

Luke walked up to Silena and thrust out his hand. "Hi! My mummy says it's nice to shake hands with strangers. Shake my hand!"

Silena blinked, then slowly held out her hand. Luke grasped it and shook it hard. Silena smiled prettily, and I saw her grip tighten on Luke's hand, and then they were having a 'shaking hand' contest.

Luke laughed and tried to pry his hand from her tight hold, but she didn't yield. He slapped her wrist, and I decided it was time to intervene. "Luke," I said. "It's not nice to hit girls—"

But then Silena grinned and threw herself forward, tackling him. Luke went sprawling on the ground, she on top of him.

My son frowned and growled in frustration.

Clarrisse was bellowing in laughter, shouting encouragement to her daughter. Luke had never been in a fight before. I worried about him, going up against Clarrisse's daughter.

Chiron and I exchanged amused glances at the wrestling match in action on the floor.

Luke yelled, and tackled Silena to the floor, and climbed on top of her, grabbing her wrists, holding them above her head. He grinned in triumph, but Silena had other ideas. She kneed him in the groin, smiling sweetly.

Luke groaned, and curled up into the foetal position. I knelt down, and helped him up. Luke glared at Silena, but eventually they both softened, and soon, they were both laughing like old friends, running around and shrieking in delight.

I sighed and said to Clarrisse, "At least I don't have to worry about your daughter going macho on my son. I don't think it would be great for his health."

I settled on the couch, watching the two four year olds, tuning out the sounds of Clarrisse's and Chiron's conversation.

Before I knew it, my head was resting on the arm of the couch, and I was snoring (according to Luke).

* * *

I woke to Luke yelling in my ear, something about "Mummy, mummy, wake up, it's midnight!"

I immediately jumped to my feet and grabbed my bag, noticing that it was dark outside.

Chiron was nowhere to be seen. I swore under my breath. I hadn't even talked to him about Luke's newfound abilities to read a dead language that, as far as I know, he's never even studied.

"Luke," I frowned. "If it's midnight, why are you still up? Why didn't Chiron wake me, and send us to a room?"

Luke guffawed, holding his stomach. "No, mummy, it's seven o clock. Chiron is having dinner with the camp. Can we go? Pleease?" He pleaded with his eyes, and I couldn't say no.

I sighed in surrender. "Alright. How long ago did he leave?"

Luke grinned, his pointy fangs (as I called them) showing. "Just soon before you woke up."

"That's 'just _before_ you woke up'. Not '_soon_ before you woke up." I corrected.

Luke shrugged, and tugged on my hand, leading me towards the dining pavilion. I tried to untangle all the knots in my hair, which was no doubt a rats' nest after being asleep for so long.

The campers were just lining up, tipping their meals into the bronze braziers. Luke stared at the pavilion in wonder, shooting questions left and right. "Why are they burning their food? Why is that girl sitting alone? Who is that fat man next to Chiron?" At the last one, the 'fat man' in question turned around, narrowing his beady eyes, scanning the place to see who had dared to call him fat.

I quickly diverted my eyes from Dionysus's piercing stare, and in answer to Luke's questions, I said, "That girl is sitting alone because she has no siblings, no brothers or sisters. And we burn our food as a sacrifice to the gods. They like the smell."

Luke and I joined the Athena line.

A teenage girl with dead straight honey blond hair stood awkwardly at the rear of the line, her hands behind her back, head down.

Her head snapped up when she heard me behind her.

"Hi," I said, when she just stared at me with wide eyes. "What's your name? Are you new here?"

She nodded. "I just came in today," she whispered. "I'm Cassie Evans."

I held out my hand, a kind gesture that I knew from experience that she would appreciate. "I'm Annabeth Chase. No, sorry," I corrected myself, hastily. "Annabeth _Ansell_."

Cassie stared at me, her eyes widening with delight. "_The _Annabeth Chase? The one who's been here since she was seven?"

I nodded, smiling wryly at her apparent amazement. "I'm the one."

Cassie's eyes widened even more. She looked like she was ready to drop to her knees screaming, _"Oh my gods, I'm not worthy!"_

"You're like our cabin's idol!" she chattered. "All I've heard all day is, _Annabeth Chase did this_, _Annabeth Chase did that_. And your name was always linked with _Percy Jackson_. Did you know him? Everyone talks about him like he's a god!"

She was talking so fast I could barely keep up. Luke was looking between us in confusion.

"Percy Jackson was my boyfriend," I told her, my eyes stinging.

"_Was?_" She squawked. "Did you two break up?" I felt like I was trying to swallow a marble. Her questions were getting too personal.

"No," I snapped, my voice becoming hollow. I looked away. "He died almost nine years ago. That's why we are not together anymore." My tone was clipped.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cassie said sympathetically.

I didn't want her sympathy. I simply nodded, and didn't speak again.

Luke tugged on my arm. "Who's Percy Jackson?" he whispered.

I squeezed his hand. "Not now, honey. I'll tell you later, I promise. I'll tell you everything."

* * *

"Annabeth! How've you been the last two years?"

"Hey, sis. Been a while."

"Oh my gods! It's Annabeth Chase!"

Were what greeted me when Luke and I sat at my table. I smiled and said hi to everyone. I had about four new siblings. There was Miss Nosy Cassie Evans, Ingrid Desdre, Mason Kendall and Bell Trinity. They all shared the same traits as me: calculating grey eyes, and various shades of blond hair. I found it strange that the whole Athena cabin was blond. Well, apart from poor Mackylah Jayd Howen **(A/N: recognise her from Midnight Revelations, one of my other stories?)**, one of my little sisters who was blessed with _dark _curls. She loathed her dark hair, but, really, she was the object of my (and everyone else's) jealousy. _She _didn't get put under the category of _dumb blond_. _She _didn't have to work to get noticed as a strategist, a leader, a fearsome warrior.

Dinner went by quickly. At some point, I was sitting next to Amelia Neptune de Preeze, daughter of Poseidon. She and Luke clicked straight away.

I said hi to Grover and Juniper, to Travis and Connor Stoll, and a lot of other people, whose faces all blurred together.

I was extremely tired, and starting to feel sick.

Luke and I didn't go to the amphitheatre for the sing-along. I took him home, and told Joel that Chiron and I didn't get to chat.

Then we tucked Luke into bed, and we weren't far behind him.

* * *

For once, I wasn't woken up by horrible dreams. No, instead, I was woken by sickness.

That's how Joel found me: kneeling over the toilet seat, sweaty and heaving.

He came and knelt beside me, brushed my hair back from my forehead and held me as I spat vomit.

After I retched nothing up for the umpteenth time, my body decided that I was done and I stood up to wash my mouth out.

I decided against having breakfast, and when my appetite hadn't yet returned by lunch time, Joel resolved to take me to the doctor's clinic.

The doctor's conclusion was frightening.

"Pregnant?" I breathed, my heart speeding up.

Doctor Karris, my own personal GP, nodded, smiling. "How is Luke going, anyhow, Mrs Ansell?"

I couldn't speak; my mouth stayed agape against my will, my tongue felt like sandpaper.

Joel squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Luke is well- he's just a bundle of energy. Never stops going, that kid." My husband answered for me.

My mind was whirling. Another child on the way? It seemed like only yesterday that Luke was being born…

"Mrs Ansell? Mrs Ansell—"

"Annabeth!" And then I realised that Joel and Doctor Karris were calling me.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and said dazedly, "Yes?"

"As I was saying, would you like a checkup performed, so that we may know how your pregnancy is going?"

I nodded dumbly. Much like last time, the doctor rubbed cold gel on my stomach, and performed the ultrasound.

The thermal image appeared on the television screen. It just looked like a blur to me, but it seemed to mean something to Doctor Karris.

She frowned, and pressed a button on a remote. The image zoomed in further, and I could make out two distinct dots.

"What does that mean?" I asked weakly.

The doctor shook her head and mumbled something under her breath, then looked at me and said, "It appears that you may be having twins, Mrs Ansell." She let that sink in before continuing, "If you come in every month from now on, I can do a pregnancy scan, and we can supervise the progress."

She still seemed troubled, but I blew it off. Maybe she just had something against twins.

We said thankyou and goodbye, and on the way home, Joel was uncomfortably silent, like he could feel the looming presence of bad luck as well.

I could only hope that this wasn't a bad omen.

* * *

My pregnancy with the twins flew by, much unlike Luke's, which had dragged on and on.

In the sixth month, I immaturely decided that I wasn't going out in public until the baby was born, as my belly was huge, and still getting huger. Joel said that I was exaggerating, but the fact that I couldn't see my feet when I stood up just strengthened my resolve.

By the seventh month, even simple tasks like getting out of bed sapped all my energy. It was like the two living beings inside of me were sucking all the spare energy I had, lapping it up as fast as I could produce it. I mostly stayed on the couch with a pillow under my head and a blanket wrapped around me for that month. Luke had once commented "You're being blown up like a balloon!" Oh, classical…

By the eighth month, I was about ready to take the twins out of me myself. I just wanted it to be over. That was also the month Joel and I started discussing names. We thought of two boy names and two girl names.

"I'd like to name a girl Arabella," Joel said in a low voice.

I raised my eyebrow, because it was the reaction that used the least energy. "Why is that? That's an unusual name."

Joel looked down.

"Joel?" I asked softly.

He didn't look up. "My best childhood friend. I've never told you about her, have I?"

I was shocked, to say in the least. I had never heard anything about his friends. This was news to me. "Nooo…" I trailed off.

Joel stared at the ground, his fists clenched. "Arabella Kashmer. She was my first girlfriend. I think."

I put my pudgy hand (yuk) over his. "You think?"

He looked at me, sorrow resting deep in his emerald eyes. He shrugged helplessly and said softly, "We never got to find out. A tragedy occurred."

I stroked his hand with my thumb. "Tell me about her."

**Joel's POV**

"Tell me about her," Annabeth said gently.

"Annabeth…" I met her intense grey eyes, alight with curiosity. "You told me about your first boyfriend, Percy. I know you still love him. Well, I still love Arabella. If she… if she was still around, I'm pretty sure we would still be together."

I heard her shocked intake of breath. "That serious?"

I nodded. "She was like my soulmate."

"What happened?" No beating around the bush, eh? But that's what I loved about her. Blunt, frank, straight to the point.

I sighed and sat back into my chair. Memories came and took hold of me, grabbed my arms, dunked me heads first into a land of painful past wrongs and grudges. It was like I was pinned to a board, and the Past threw darts at me, and they pricked me, hurt me all over again.

"What happened indeed…"

**Joel's Flashback**

_I was sixteen years old, and in love. I had never had a girlfriend before, and Arabella was everything I could have hoped for. She was innocently pretty, with long dirty blond, curly hair, blue/ grey eyes and freckles across her nose. She was insanely sweet, humble, modest, and I could make her blush simply by commenting on her exquisite piano playing, or saying how her eyes matched the sky on an overcast day._

_The problem was, Arabella and I didn't attend the same school. I only got to see her on weekends. So, how did we meet, you might ask?_

_At a local café, precisely. That's right. She was the counter girl at my favourite café, and after I had bought the same drink from the same café for seven days in a row, on the seventh day she finally remarked that my face seemed familiar._

_"Well, it should be, considering I've ordered the same drink from you seven days in a row," I had said teasingly as she handed my drink over the counter._

_She had blushed, and retracted her hand quickly. I sauntered to my usual table, and watched her as I sipped my coffee. She seemed to get frazzled easily, was always nervously tucking a stray curl behind her right ear, or fiddling with the hem of her white apron. _

_She had a flinching demeanour about her that suggested that she was used to dodging blows. _

_I wasn't much good at reading people, and I barely knew the girl, but one question was reverberating around inside my head: was this girl used to being hit?_

**End Flashback**

"Wow," Annabeth breathed. "But then how did you two get together?"

"I'm getting to that," I snapped, painful memories getting the better of me. I pretended not to notice Annabeth cringe at my sudden coldness.

**Flashback**

_For two weeks in a row now, Arabella and I had said hi to each other over the counter. One day, I finally got up the nerve to ask her out. She accepted._

_For our first date, I took her to a fancy restaurant, paid the wages with my own money (and bankrupting myself in the process).After dinner, we went for a late night walk on the beach. Arabella was quiet for most of the evening, nervous and edgy._

_It was a nice evening, but she was kind of awkward and neither of us had any experience in the romance department. I took her home, and at her front door, I couldn't even muster up enough courage to kiss her on the cheek, and I thought it was maybe too early a leg in our relationship to kiss her cheek. We parted with a friendly wave and goodnight._

_I saw her the next day at the café. When I ordered, she seemed more formal than usual, and all the friendliness we had adopted with each other was gone. _

_I was immensely curious, but there was a queue building up behind me, and Arabella had already started serving the next customer._

_I found my favourite table by the window, and slumped down, staring at my steaming coffee. This girl just had this effect on me, one I didn't like at all. Like one word, one look from her, and my whole life could be turned upside down._

**End Flashback**

"It was kind of like 'love at first sight'" I admitted to Annabeth sheepishly. But my expression darkened. "For me, at least. I have no idea whether the feeling was mutual, or she just pitied me."

Annabeth smiled slightly. "I know how that feels, in a kind of sibling- adopted fashion. Did that make sense?"

"Not one bit," I said, albeit a bit impishly.

"Luke," she said quietly. "The first time I laid eyes on him, I fell in love. Like, _sibling _love. He was like a brother. Then, Thalia died and was reincarnated as a tree, and it was just me and Luke. For a couple of years, I was confused. I thought that I loved him. As in, _couple love_. But, no. Percy was the one for me. Luke always loved Thalia."

I managed a tiny laugh, shaking my head. "It was clear to me from the beginning- I wasn't confused in the slightest. Arabella was the first girl I ever loved, and I truthfully thought she would be the only one. Until I met this lovely blond lady here," I nudged Annabeth playfully.

"Hah. _Lovely_." She snorted in such a way that completely contradicted my previous statement about her being a 'lady'.

"I'm serious. Lovely."

"With this big belly here? I have _flab _on me. That, my dear husband, is not _lovely _in the slightest."

I used my index finger to tilt her gorgeous (though perhaps a _little bit _bloated- but don't you dare say anything) face so that our eyes locked. "Just accept the compliment without complaint, Annabeth. You are a beautiful woman, even pregnant. Enough said."

Annabeth blushed modestly and nodded, then waved her hand in a gesture that clearly meant: 'continue, please'.

**Flashback**

_After a week of being ignored by Arabella, I built up the pluck to talk to her (well, to have a conversation with her that _didn't _involve coffee)._

_"Hi," I said._

_"Hi," she said. "What can I get for you today?"_

_"Maybe a proper conversation about our relationship?" I asked hopefully, resting my hands on the counter._

_She nodded and said easily, "Oh, okay, I take it the usual? Light with two sugars—"_

_"No," I interrupted, leaning forward, ignoring the rustling line behind me. I gestured between us. "We have to talk. About us."_

_"I wasn't aware there _was _an 'us'." Arabella said testily._

_"I asked you out. You accepted. We had fun. That's something, isn't it?"_

_Arabella pushed her bangs out of her eyes and glanced apprehensively at her co- bar worker. "Abbey," she said to the girl. "Can you take the line for a minute? I need to step out."_

_The other girl, Abbey, nodded, and yelled for the line to move to her side of the counter. Arabella wiped her hands on her apron, hung it up, then started walking away. Like an obedient little puppy dog, I followed her._

_"Hey, wait up!" I said loudly when she walked through a door in the back storage room. The place smelled strongly like coffee and stale biscuits._

_I saw her again, ambling through the store room like there was a wall of lava behind her, and not just an eager guy._

_"Arabella!" I yelled. "Where are we going?!"_

_She turned around, and seeing me only a couple of metres behind her, her pace seemed to quicken even more. _

_When she stopped to rest, I caught up and dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. _

_"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she groaned. "I went out with you- isn't that enough?"_

_I hauled myself off the ground and leaned against a shelf that held sacks of coffee beans. "What, so you only went out with me so that I would leave you alone?"_

_Arabella looked at me, noticing the hurt undertones in my voice. Her eyes flashed with something akin to hesitation. But it quickly disappeared, replaced with coldness. "And if I did?"_

_My face fell. "Oh, so you did it out of politeness. I get it. I'll just go now." And then I walked away, and looked back only once to see Arabella looking at me with an expression I had only ever hoped to see on her face._

_Painful regret._

_But that could have just been my conscience messing with my eyesight._

**End Flashback**

"I'm sorry if it's getting boring," I said to Annabeth. "It _is _pretty long."

"No!" she said quickly. "Not boring at all. I put you through the boring agony of listening to my life story. I can only return the courtesy."

I rested my hand on her arm and returned to the story.

**Flashback**

_I never expected to speak to Arabella again. However, I wasn't prepared to find her sobbing her heart out behind the coffee shop she worked at, though._

_I knelt down next to her and wordlessly scooped her into my arms. Without even looking up, she surrendered to my embrace, and I held her in my arms, rocking slightly, as her sobbing quieted. _

_Once she had calmed enough to speak, I let go of her and saidin a low voice, "I'm sorry." I stood up to leave, but she gripped my hand and pulled me down next to her._

_"No. I'm the one who should be sorry." She wouldn't meet my eyes. _

_"No, don't say it if you aren't truly sorry. I understand. I was wrong to presume—"_

_"Joel." My name flowing so comfortably from her lips silenced me to no end._

_"Yes?" My voice was hoarse, and barely above a whisper._

_"Don't presume. You have no idea what is going on. You make assumptions, and whether or not you want it to, those assumptions affect my life as well. You presume I do not have feelings for you. And you leave it at that."_

_My heart had started to race by this point. "What are you saying?" I mumbled._

_"I'm saying that maybe we were both wrong. I care about you- you are the only person who has ever doubted the mask I wear. However, I cannot return your feelings of affection."_

_"Why?—" _

_"My life has many complications. Boundaries. Limitations. Please, do me and yourself a favour and walk away now. Forget everything that happened between us. Find a new favourite café, for I can't afford to quit my job here for you. I hear that the coffee shop around the corner has a nice selection of espressos." She gazed at me with her huge, mournful eyes. "Don't bury yourself any deeper in my problems. It would be better for both of us if you just—"_

_But now I was angry. With her, no. Definitely not. Just angry. I hated that I lashed out at her, but fury invokes impulsivity and on instinct, you lash out at the closets person to you. "Just what, Arabella?" I glared at the ground and kicked a stone. I pretended not to notice her shrink slightly at my harsh tone. "Walk away, you say? That's impossible. Is it really so hard to believe that maybe, just maybe, I _care _about you?" I spat, clenching my fists. "I don't care what your problems are! I don't care about the fact that you say we can never be friends! I want to _help _you, Arabella! And you're blatantly refusing me, despite everything I've done for you!"_

_She laid a shaky hand on my arm, but wouldn't meet my eyes. I was immediately filled with remorse. _

_"I didn't mean what I said," my tone was low and humble. "Forgive me, Arabella."_

_I sat back against the wall, and leaned my head back, closing my eyes. Arabella was tense and silent next to me._

_Minutes, hours, and eternity passed by, so it seemed, before I felt a light, hesitant weight on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and smiled widely at the sight of Arabella resting her head on my shoulder._

**End Flashback**

"We became friends after that," I said. Annabeth had her head on my shoulder, and my eyes closed. If I concentrated hard, I might be able to believe that Annabeth was Arabella- that Annabeth's blond cascading locks were Arabella's flouncing, dark curls. That Annabeth's deep, steady breaths were Arabella's racking sobs.

I opened my eyes and gazed down at Annabeth, whose head was now in my lap. "So what happened next?" she gave me a toothy grin.

It was so goofy- looking that I burst into laughter and stroked her head lovingly. However, my thoughts were far from this room, this woman. From our own child who was even further from my thoughts.

"What happened next?" Annabeth asked encouragingly.

My face darkened as sombre thoughts crowded my mind.

"Just prepare yourself," I said. "We know that Arabella doesn't have a happy ending."

**Flashback**

_Arabella became more open to our friendship. I took her out on 'friendly' dates. My hopes on our relationship ever progressing past the friendship stage vanished. She became closed in and terrified at the prospect of holding hands- if I mentioned kissing, she would probably faint._

_At first, I thought it was just philophobia. She was scared of falling in love. She was scared of the prospect of a relationship with me. That was all. It never even occurred to me to check the skeletons in her closet before falling in love with her._

_On one of our dates, I took her to the cinemas to see a horror movie. She was freaking out terribly, so I put my arm around her shoulders and gripped her hand. She practically screamed out loud and ripped her hand from mine, shaking it like it burnt._

_She quickly hopped out of her seat, and ran out of the movie theatre. This wasn't unusual- quite a few people had run screaming out of the theatre due to the scary scenes on the screen._

_I tried not to feel sore from the rejection I had just received._

_I sighed and stood, exiting the theatre to go find Arabella._

_"Hey, Bell?" I called, checking around all corners, in every theatre, even taking such drastic measures as to poke my head quickly into the girls' bathroom and call her name. No response._

_It was strange. Just as I had given up, thinking she had run out of the joint itself, and made her own way home, I stumbled across her figure, all curled in on herself in a dark corner. She stared at me with wide eyes, almost feral like they were, her lips blue and trembling, hands clasped under her chin. She rocked slightly._

_"Bell?" I said softly, coming to drop by her side. She quickly squirmed away. "Arabella," I said, firmer now. "Tell me what's wrong."_

_She bit her lip and exhaled sharply. "You held my hand," she whispered._

_I stood and placed my hand gently on her shoulder. She flinched slightly. "I want to know the truth, Arabella." I began. "It's normal for two people who mutually like and respect each other to go on dates. Eventually, feelings develop. It is not unusual for those two people to hold hands, hug each other, kiss on the cheek, eventually the lips. Perhaps even exchange secrets." I held her gaze evenly._

_She looked petrified, like she was going to bolt at any second. I stepped forward and grasped her chin. She cringed away from my touch, and I was resigned to drop my hand. _

_"Tell me the truth, Arabella," I pleaded. "I hate being kept in the dark. I need to know. You can trust me. We're friends."_

_My words seemed to have an effect on her. Her eyes flickered warily from me to the empty hallways. _

_"We shall talk," she said thinly. "But not here, where many keen ears seek the juicy stuff of gossip. To the park," she ordered, spinning on her heel and setting off._

_The errant thought that she spoke so old fashioned crossed my mind._

_I shook my head to clear my mind, and followed her retreating figure._

**(AN: WARNING: graphic scenes coming up!)**

_Once Arabella and I were settled on a bench in the park, the moon was high in the sky, and the wind bit at exposed flesh like that of an ice- tipped spear. I drew my jacket closer to me, and I yearned to hold my sort- of- girlfriend for warmth, but I was sure she would slap me, or worse, run away and never speak to me again._

_"So, spill, you!" I said with humour, in an attempt to get her to smile. The sight of her crooked, off- white teeth gave me a sense of euphoria. Even the most perfect specimen on earth had its flaws._

_Arabella went limp. Her head fell against my shoulder, and her eyes focused on something far away, something that went beyond my vision._

_When she spoke, her voice was thin and hoarse, void of emotion. "Leandor Isenhower. My stepfather." She paused, as if wondering where to start. _

_In her hesitation, I squeezed her tight against me. I yearned to kiss her hair, in a motion of reassurance, but I decided against it. _

_"Leandor seemed alright at first. He was handsome, no doubt. That's why my mother fell for him in the first place. He had a sense of humour. He was easygoing and considerate. But within the first week of him moving in with us, we learnt that there was more to Leandor than met the eye._

_"He had a mental illness that no one but his family knew of. He suffered from a severe case of depression, and alcohol was his only way out. Living with us only made it worse. In the first month, he only drank every night. But by the next month, he had stooped to locking himself in the basement and downing bottle after bottle throughout the day."_

_Arabella looked up at me, and in her eyes I could see hopelessness and anguish. "He was terrifying when he was drunk, Joel. You have no idea. He would threaten to kill my mother and kill me, burn the house down, burn the world to the ground. In one of his drunken fits, he kicked my childhood pet dog Audrey to death. Her death was slow and painful, and he tied me to a chair and made me watch. It was torture for both me and Audrey!" _

_I didn't say anything, hoping she would see sympathy and not horror in my eyes._

_"At home, I simply resolved to fading into the background and not saying anything." Arabella laughed, but it was not a humourous laugh. It was filled with bitterness and anger. "Doesn't matter really. Even when I'm silent and obedient, he still hits me."_

_"That bastard," I said, breathing heavily to control my fury. "He should be reported."_

_Arabella shook her head sadly. "I reported him once, about seven months ago, after his first violent night. He locked me in the garage for three days with no food, and only the dog's water to drink after the police showed up. He sweet talked them into thinking that nothing was wrong and that _I _was the mental one!" Her eyes flashed with anger._

_"And what of your mother?" I asked. "Can't she get rid of him?"_

_"No amount of force will make him leave!" she cried. "He hit her black and blue until she was unconscious when she told him they were breaking up! And that was ten months ago."_

_Another question was on the tip of my tongue. I was scared of the answer, but I needed to know. "And what is the worst he's ever done to you?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous._

_Arabella seemed to hesitate, but then she stood and lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal a white jagged line just below her navel. It glinted in the moonlight, looking deadly. I sucked in a breath through my teeth. "He stabbed me with a knife," she said in a calm voice that just masked the fury boiling beneath the surface. "I bled for a day and a half before he allowed me out of my room to get my mother to sew me up. It got infected, and I was taken to hospital. We had to lie to the authorities and say that a gang messed with me when I was on my way home from a friend's house."_

_"Where is he now?" I asked, my voice still deadly calm. _

_"At my house," Arabella said simply. I noticed she didn't say 'home'._

_"Show me where your house is," I said._

_"No."_

_"Yes."_

_"Please?"_

_"I said _no!_"_

_"Arabella!" I grabbed her by the shoulders. Her eyes widened in fright, and my eyes softened, my grip gentled. "Please, Arabella. If anything happens to you, I want to be able to come and help you, okay? Give me your address and phone number."_

_I searched my pockets frantically, and eventually came out with a tissue and a lead pencil that was about as long as my pinkie finger. It would do._

_I handed the Kleenex and pencil to her, and she took it, writing something down. I glanced at it and smiled triumphantly. I then ripped the tissue in half, and wrote my own number down for her. _

_"Don't hesitate to call me whenever you feel like!" I said urgently. "I don't care whether it's midnight, midday or morning!"_

_Arabella wouldn't meet my eyes, but she nodded. We parted ways, bidding each other a friendly goodnight._

**End Flashback**

"But that's not all," Annabeth prompted.

"No," I agreed. "However, story's almost finished."

Annabeth understood that the hardest part to talk about was coming up.

**Flashback**

_The next day when I went to Arabella's usual café, she wasn't there. I frowned. Her days off were Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Never Thursday. _

_It was most unusual, and my worries only heightened when I asked Arabella's co-worker, Abbey, about her absence, and Abbey said easily, "Don't fret, Joel. She's just sick." _

_Sick? After what Arabella had told me last night, her being merely 'sick' seemed too much of a coincidence. _

_I nodded and thanked Abbey, then ran out of the shop, fumbling through my pockets for Arabella's address. I found it, and hailed a taxi, shoving the paper in the driver's face, and yelling at him to get me there quick as he could. I threw a fifty dollar note at him, and told him to keep the change as incentive to drive faster._

_He screeched to a stop in front of the house, and when I yanked open the door, I blanched at the smell. The neighbourhood was shabby, and beer bottles, cigarette packets and other nasty stuff littered the sidewalk. The path itself was cracked in many places, and the houses sagged and many were in need of repainting. _

Number 27, _I read off the tissue. The house in front of me was 20. _

_I thanked the driver, and walked down the path, keeping an eye out for 27._

_When I saw it, my heart sank. Even among all the other houses, this one was by far the worst. It might have been pretty once, but the garden was severely neglected, the once carnation- yellow exterior was now a greyish, off- yellow colour that looked disturbingly like a particular bodily excretion, and didn't smell much better. To think that such lovely a girl as Arabella lived in a disgusting neighbourhood like this made my heart well up in sympathy. _

_I gathered my wits, and strode up to the door, rapping on the door loudly and purposefully with my knuckles. The door was opened a tad after about a minute, and a small, shrivelled woman with long curly, grey hair peeked out. Her eyes were hooded, and she was frail and skinny. _

_Arabella's mother. _

_"How may I help you?" she squeaked, still not opening the door more than a crack. _

_"I'm here to see Arabella, if you don't mind?" I wasn't really asking for permission. I was going to see my friend whether this woman let me in, or I had to break the door down and fight Leandor myself. _

_The woman cringed and whispered, "You can't. Please don't try- he'll kill us all." I knew she was talking about her mental husband. I pitied this woman- I could now see that she was even more horribly abused than her daughter. _

_"Mrs Isenhower—" _

_"Lesley," she muttered._

_"Lesley," I began again. "Is Arabella here? Please tell me."_

_Her eyes darted nervously around, and she checked behind her, then leaned in and whispered urgently, "You must leave now, boy. Arabella is here- but she refuses to come out of her room, and she will not talk. I doubt you will have much more luck than I."_

_"We'll see," I said, and pushed past her into the house to come face to face with a man that stank like whiskey. He mumbled something, and I cringed at his foul breath. Thankfully, just then, he passed out from all his alcohol consumption. _

_I stepped over him and (barely) resisted the urge to spit in his face._

_"Take me to Arabella!" I commanded Lesley. She gazed at me coolly, but then beckoned for me to follow her. _

_We arrived at a closed door. "Arabella!" Lesley called. No reply. "A boy is here for you!"_

_"Go away!" came her muffled response. _

_"Bella! It's me, Joel!" the door was thrown open, and there stood my friend, her face red and puffy, eyes bloodshot. She grabbed me, yanked me into her room, then slammed the door shut._

_She collapsed onto her bed again, and her shoulders shook. I had the premonition that she was crying. _

_"Hey, what's wrong?" I came and sat by her side, stroking her back, massaging her tense shoulders._

_She sat up and threw her arms around me. When I impulsively kissed her forehead, her sobs intensified and her grip on me tightened. _

_Just when I gave up hope of her ever answering, she spat, "_He _happened, that's what!"_

_I was immediately filled with dread. "What happened?" I whispered._

_She broke down in tears again and buried her face in my collarbone. It was then that I realised how thin she was. No, not just thin. Extremely underweight. Starved of nutrition. Malnourished. She had mentioned before that her stepfather had starved her a couple of times, but I had never felt her frail body against mine in such a way that her condition had been brought to my attention. Burning hatred for this wretched man bubbled up my throat. But I kept it at bay._

_When she got herself under control, she brushed the tangled web of curls off her face and looked up into my eyes. "Vile creature that he is," she hissed, a darkness in her eyes, "he snuck into my room last night. He crawled into my bed. He gagged me so that my mother wouldn't hear my cries of protest and his filthy hands started to rip my clothes off me." A coldness started creeping through my bones. I was afraid to breathe. Chills ran up and down my spine as she continued. "And then he took the gag off me and gave me some kind of injection. I passed out. And when I woke, I was naked." Her voice was seething, and frightened all at the same time. "My lips tasted like whiskey. And my legs were sticky."_

_I was frozen. Her words echoed through my head. Arabella had been raped by her own stepfather._

**End Flashback**

I looked at Annabeth and she met my eyes, her grey eyes shining with barely contained fury. "If I ever see that man, I will gut him alive!" she seethed. "What happened next? You speak like- like Arabella isn't alive anymore," her tone softened when she saw the unshed tears in my eyes.

I nodded dumbly and patted her bulging stomach. Suddenly, she jumped and cried out. "I'm sorry!" I said, alarmed.

"No!" she wheezed. "It was the baby. I mean, babies. I felt a kick."

"The date is drawing closer," I said, with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. And I couldn't help but think bitterly: _for every life that is taken, two more are given._

**Flashback**

_We were both shaking after Arabella's revelation. Arabella was shaking in fright. I was trembling with rage. I wanted to go out there and kill Leandor while he dozed. The filthy pig deserved it after what he did. The only thing stopping me was Aabella's skinny arms that circled my neck. I didn't want to leave her alone._

_We fell asleep tangled together._

* * *

_When I opened my eyes, there was a gun pointed at my face. My breathing hitched as my eyes travelled up the barrel, up the beefy hands and corded arms that held the weapon, and finally into the deep blue eyes of the man who wielded the gun. _

_Leandor._

_Arabella must have just sensed that I was awake, because she moaned softly and opened her eyes. When she saw the gun, she squeaked and jerked, cowering in the circle of my arm that was tight around her._

_Leandor clicked the gun. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot now, boy," he said deadly calm. "I walk into my stepdaughter's room and find a boy in her bed- what is the meaning of this?"_

_I gulped, going cross eyed looking down the barrel. But I kept my face straight as I said, "Your stepdaughter needed comforting after you molested her in the comfort of her own home. Forgive me for just being a good friend, Mr Isenhower."_

_I probably should have just kept my mouth shut, but he angered and disgusted me so much!_

_"Say what, boy?" Leandor growled, his grip on the gun tightening. His knuckles turned white._

_I sat up, so that the point of the weapon was resting on the centre of my diaphragm. I should have been afraid. One twitch of the finger, and my heart could be blown out of my chest. But I wasn't. "You are a sick mongrel, Leandor," I stated casually. I might have been commenting on the weather. Arabella looked on, fear for me filling her large eyes. "You think you can get away with rape? Think again."_

_And I threw myself at the man, startling him and knocking the shotgun out of his hands._

_We went rolling across the floor, and I was getting the better of him- I sat atop the older man's chest and pummelled his face, fury driving me, not wisdom._

_"Arabella!" I yelled. "The gun!"_

_She launched herself off the bed towards the gun. The same moment that Leandor managed to push me off of his body._

_I flew in the door, and my head smacked against the frame with enough force to buckle the weak wood. I lay dazed for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it when I heard a scream that sounded much like one emitted from Arabella's mouth._

_I jolted out of my daze and jumped to my feet to see Arabella on the floor, a graze on her right temple that was bleeding. Leandor had suffered a bloody nose and a few bruises and cuts from the beating I had delivered unto his face, but he seemed okay. The gun was back in his hands. _

_"See what you've done, boy," he snarled. "I'm sure Bella would have told you many a time- walk away before anyone gets hurt. And now, because you've disobeyed our orders, she has to die."_

_Before I could do anything, Leandor pressed the trigger and the bullet flew through Arabella's chest. I screamed and flung myself at him. But it was too late. He had already pressed the trigger. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact, but nothing happened. I hesitantly opened my eyes and gasped at the scene in front of me- Leandor, on the ground, a bloody hole in his temple, blood pouring from his head wound, gun a few feet from his limp hand._

_His blue eyes gazed at me with a cool contempt, but they were unfocused and misty. I knew he was dead. Had he committed suicide, then? Or had he accidentally pointed the gun towards himself?_

_I would never know. But right then, I didn't care about anything as I dropped to my knees and crawled to the limp girl on the floor. It was beyond madness to believe she'd survived a bullet through the chest, and sure enough, when I laid a hand on her shoulder to turn her over, she was cold and already turning stiff._

_I choked on a cry and ran out of the room, looking for Lesley. She was nowhere to be found. I checked every room, and then I did find her. She lay upon a king sized bed, arms spread, head tilted towards the ceiling. She lay in a pool of her own blood, the inflicted wound being to her temple, same as Leandor's._

_It was a sick sight. Too much death in this house. The atmosphere was cold with grief and misery. Already I could feel the looming presence of the Grim Reaper. I shivered and ran from the house, fumbling through my pockets for my phone to call 911._

**End Flashback**

Annabeth was silent. She said nothing, just let me grieve for my lost friend. For the horrible ordeal I went through at age 16.

I knew that in the same year, she had been fighting for her life, and fearing for her best friend's life in a very different way- the weapon being a scythe, the friend being Percy Jackson, and the enemy being the evil titan lord Kronos.

With a start, I realised that tears were streaming down my face. Annabeth reached up to wipe them away with her thumb, but they just kept coming.

She glanced at the time, and jumped, cursing under her breath in Ancient Greek. "We're half an hour late to pick Luke up from Rachel's!" she cursed, pulling on a pair of mismatched purple and green socks, and then proceeding to try (and fail) the task of putting on Luke's blue Converse.

I almost laughed at my wife's evident disorganisation. I heard her mutter, "Gods, that boy has such _big feet!_"

My heart still hurt from the story I had just spent the last half hour telling, but I still managed a small smile. It was one of those rare times when Annabeth showed her true nature, and didn't hide beneath a veneer of steely coldness and pride.

It was one of those times when she allowed her true colours to show through, and I could see her insecurities and her doubts and her clumsiness and her wavering trust. Her fear of spiders, of love, of losing those she loves. I could see the vast sadness that overwhelmed and controlled her, and I could feel the pain of her loss, because we were one and the same. At the same time, I could feel her broad happiness, feel the fervour of new life that sapped her strength yet revitalised her, the excitement that ran through her veins. It was endearing to me: her impulsivity and her wisdom, her determination to do the right thing.

I saw all her faults and her strengths in that one moment.

And I cherished all of it.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

A loud cry woke me up in the middle of the night. I looked at my digital clock, which read _3:05 am _and groaned, covering my face with a pillow. Joel was snoring beside me, as oblivious as ever.

I heaved myself up, still weak from my pregnancy, and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, walking to the twins' room, which was next door to Luke's.

I poked my head in and saw Aria and Percy both awake, screaming their little heads off. Despite the noise, I smiled to see them in a tangled mass of limbs and blankets. Born mere seconds apart (the girl being two minutes older, and Aria just a shortened version of Arabella), my little twins were closer than ever. If one cried, the other screamed. If one was hungry, the other was ravenous. If one giggled, the other would shriek in laughter. It was like they competed for attention, but had to make the other's needs known to me at the same time.

But now they were both screaming in harmony, their faces identically red and streaming with tears.

"Hey, hey, calm down you two," I whispered soothingly as I stroked their wild light brown hair, thumbed their faces lovingly. Percy stopped crying first. He gazed up at me with wide, innocent green eyes. _Emerald _green. Not sea green. Joel's eyes.

Aria settled down and joined Percy in staring at me. They were just over a month old, and had been brought home from the hospital just a few days ago. Luke had been close- minded to the fact of having to share me with two other babies, but as soon as he had laid eyes on them, he was instantly intrigued and fascinated by their tiny little limbs, the soft downy light brown fuzz that rested atop their heads, their large eyes that took everything in.

Luke, now five years old, was just the protective older brother I had always wished for. He freaked out if Aria couldn't find her blanket, or if Percy refused to swallow his yogurt.

We were all in love with the twins, and even though Joel and I bickered constantly over who would get up to tend to them, I really didn't mind waking in the middle of the night (or early in the morning, depending on how you looked at it) to check on them.

I bent down and kissed both tiny little foreheads, and threw one last bright smile and goodnight over my shoulder before I went to check on Luke. He was deep asleep, his fingers curled and arms splayed around his blond head. His Blanky was pushed down to his waist and I saw that he had adopted his father's habits- to sleep without a shirt.

He reminded me so much of his namesake- from his fair hair, to the intelligence that delved in his grey/ hazel eyes. His lashes were dark and long, his skin nicely tanned.

Luke stretched and moaned in his sleep, then rolled over onto his face.

I blew him a kiss, then made my way back to mine and Joel's room.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Luke, happy birthday to you!"

"Hippip _hooray! _Hippip _horray! _Hippip _horray!_"

As we sung to Luke on his eighth birthday, the three year old twins Aria and Percy were screaming the loudest out of all the other little girls and boys. Luke blew out the candles on his strawberries and cream sponge cake, then, like the mischievous little boy he was, dipped his finger in the mounds of whipped cream and stuck it in his mouth. Two camera flashes went off- mine and Joel's- to capture the adorable moment forever.

Luke grinned handsomely and I saw one of the girls, Kara, direct daughter of Hermes, one of Luke's friends from camp, blush hugely. Clarrisse's daughter Silena was here, at Luke's right hand (those two had become best friends pretty fast) and Grover and Juniper's son Pedro was here as well. He was pretty cute with his furry little goat legs and hooves.

Luke's best mortal friend Davy Anderson was seated on Luke's left, and I noticed him shooting glances at Silena whenever he thought nobody was looking.

Joel and I had an inside joke about the 'three-way love triangle'. It was classic, really. Luke was best friends with both Silena and Davy. Luke had a crush on Silena. Davy had a crush on Silena. Silena was very, very secretive about whom she liked, though we could all agree that it wasn't Davy.

Davy was about the only kid here who had nothing to do with the gods. I was speculative about Luke having mortal friends right in the midst of a whole bunch of demigods, but Davy still seemed unaware of the magic brewing around him.

This day, one of great happiness, was also one of great sadness for me. It had now been over fifteen years since my mother had had any contact with me. She hadn't even bothered to come and see her grandsons and granddaughter when they had been born, let alone to see _me_. I had a feeling she felt bad about hating Percy when he was alive, and now that he was dead, she had no way of redeeming herself with me. In truth, I had forgiven her long ago. It was natural for her to hate the son of her rival. And she had all but given up on trying to keep me and Percy from seeing each other, so she had stayed reserved.

But it still hurt, all the same.

I was drawn back to the present by a chant going up around me- _we want cake! we want cake! we want cake!_

Joel and I met at the cake, and as we cut cake and passed it around the table of eight year olds, Joel shouted to me over the mayhem: "Did Luke want the blue plate, or was that Percy?"

"Percy wants the blue one, and Luke wants the green one! Ari wants the yellow one! The others can have whatever's given to them!"

"Anniebeth!" I heard a voice shout at me. I stood up and wiped my perspiring brow.

"That's me!" I called back.

"Can I have the red plate?" I finally found Silena next to me. She was so small and delicate seeming (key word being _seeming_) that my gaze had skipped right over her.

"Sure, sweetie," I said and handed the already loaded red plate to her. She took it and nodded in thanks, returning to her seat next to Luke.

I took Aria and Percy their plates of cake, and Percy immediately started stuffing his face, while Aria picked at her food. "Ari? Aren't you gonna eat your cake?" Percy asked through a mouthful of whipped cream. There were white blobs around his mouth, and one even on his forehead.

Aria shook her head and pushed it away. "Not hungry," she pouted.

I sat down next to her and brushed her dark bangs off her forehead. "What's wrong, honey? Since when does my little Ari not want cake?"

Aria shrugged, still pouting. "Feel sick," she whined. Percy took her plate and started stuffing _her _cake down his greedy gullet.

I sent him a pointed look, and he smiled at Aria. "Can I have your cake?" he asked, even though there was maybe a crumb of it left.

Aria shrugged again and buried her head on my shoulder.

I patted her back, and went to check whether Luke had fallen sick yet from eating so much cake.

* * *

Two days after Luke's party, and Aria hadn't eaten much other than a few crumbs of bread and some banana.

I was starting to get worried about her. After yet another unsuccessful venture to get Aria to eat, Joel and I decided to take her to the hospital. Since she wasn't dying, we had to wait quite a few hours. Percy and Luke started a game of chopsticks, and when it turned into 'who can poke each other in the guts the hardest' I put an end to it.

It was really nice, seeing my two sons playing with each other like that. They obviously adored each other, and it was a huge relief, considering that their namesakes hadn't been on the best of terms.

Another ten minutes of sitting still, and both boys had had enough. Luke had this brilliant idea to go around and question all the adults in the waiting room about their first pet goldfish (because _everybody _has had to owned a goldfish in their life, was Luke's reasoning).

It was quite amusing, really. The responses Luke got varied from: "Go away, kid" to "My first goldfish, you say? Hmm… let's see… his name was Goldie…"

Finally, mercifully, the name Arabella Ansell was called and while I brought Aria into the small room, Joel herded Luke and Percy up and into the room.

"Hello," the doctor greeted us, "My name is Doctor Adsen. What is the matter, Mr and Mrs Ansell?"

I held Aria out for the doctor to inspect. "My daughter, Aria. She hasn't been eating well for the last couple of days. I was hoping you could just do a scan, check her for any abnormalities?"

Dr Adsen grasped her under the armpits and laid her on the bed.

I saw Joel restraining Luke and Percy from running over and touching every utensil in the room.

I fidgeted in my chair as the doctor inspected my sleeping daughter. He opened her eyelids and shone a bright light in her eyes, and I was surprised Aria didn't wake up, though she did moan and stir.

Doctor Adsen sat back up, looking troubled.

"What is it, Doctor?" I asked nervously.

"I'm not quite sure, so I can't say yet, but would you mind if we kept her over night to check her bodily functions?"

Joel's face mirrored my whirling emotions. "Of course," I said, anxiety lacing my tone. "She's not going to die, is she?"

The doctor pasted a fake smile on his face and started to sweet talk me, but I didn't want any of it.

"Please, Doctor. Tell me the truth," I pleaded. "Is death a possibility?"

The doctor's face fell. "Possibly, Mrs Ansell. I can't tell you for sure but it is likely that your daughter has acquired a severe case of acute lymphocytic leukaemia."

Joel and I looked at each other, alarmed. I saw misery in Joel's eyes. His worst fear had come true. Our daughter had inherited the deadly gene.

My sweet little Aria was going to die.

**TO BE CONTINUED! I know I said there would only be five chapters, but expect more! This chapter was way too long to type out in one sitting, so there will be ****AT LEAST**** two more chapters. **

**Please can we get to thirty five reviews? Please? As a reward for the extra long chapter (which, by the way, I slaved over for more than three weeks).**

**Will Athena ever speak with Annabeth again? Will poor little Aria survive her ordeal? And what of Silena and Luke? Is this a budding romance? READ ON TO FIND OUT!**

**Thanks for reading, my wonderful fans!**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


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